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The Art of Asia
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Ceramics
Guide to Early Chinese Ceramics

Neolithic - Sung Dynasty

6000 B.C. -1300 A.D.

As an art form, only ceramics cover the entire forty-five century span of Chinese history. More than any other material, fired clay has served the needs and satisfied the aesthetic tastes of all segments of society in nearly every culture on earth. The Chinese contribution to ceramic art however is one of uncontested brilliance. In terms of their sheer production, technical innovation, artistic refinement, aesthetic diversity and global impact, the Chinese can claim the world's longest and foremost ceramic tradition.

Pottery was valued in the Far East as elsewhere for its utility and relative affordability. Early on, however, the Chinese developed a heightened sense of aesthetic appreciation for ceramics that promoted the sensitivity to material, technical sophistication and stylistic range that define the classic wares of the Neolithic cultures, Bronze Age, T'ang (618-906), Sung, and Ch'in dynasties.

Neolithic Ceramics
Bronze Age Ceramics
Han Dynasty Ceramics
Yueh Ware
T'ang Ceramic Innovations
Beginning of Porcelain
T'ang San-t'sai Ceramics
Sung Dynasty Ceramics
Ting Ware
Ch'ing-pai Ware
Black-Glazed Ware
Sung Tea Bowls
Northern Celadon
Lung- ch'uan Celadon
Chun Ware
Kuan Ware Tz'u-chou Type Ceramics