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Southern Song Official Kiln Porcelain

Type Object Region China Time c. 1144–1276

Southern Song official kilns produced celadon for the court, divided into Xiuneisi and Jiaotanxia kilns, with fine bodies and powder-green or plum-gr…

Timeline

  1. c. 1144Xiuneisi, Lin'an · ZhejiangAfter moving the capital to Lin'an, Southern Song set up an official kiln at Xiuneisi, firing celadon imitating Ru kiln glazes for exclusive palace use; Ye Zhi's Tanzhai Biheng records 'the official kiln moved from Bianjing to Hangzhou, made at Xiuneisi,' marking the southern relocation and rebuilding of the official kiln system.
  2. c. 1204Jiaotanxia, Lin'an · ZhejiangBecause the Xiuneisi kiln site was cramped and its smoke disturbed residents, the court built another official kiln below the suburban altar; archaeological finds identify the Wuguishan kiln site as this kiln, whose products had thinner bodies and finer craquelure, slightly differing in style from Xiuneisi.
  3. 1220–1230Jiaotanxia Official Kiln, Lin'an · ZhejiangIn the 1220s the Jiaotanxia official kiln fired ritual vessels, display porcelain, and scholar's desk items for the palace, with glazes mainly powder-green and plum-green and the 'purple mouth, iron foot' feature mature; products entered the palace after Xiuneisi inspection, private imitation was strictly forbidden, and surviving official kiln wares are extremely rare.

Sources