Tang Sancai

Timeline

1. c. 650–684Chang'an · Xi'an CityThe early Tang was the formative period of Tang sancai. Early sancai wares excavated from the Zheng Rentai tomb (first year of Linde) and the Li Feng tomb (first year of Shangyuan) mark the establishment of multi-colored lead glaze techniques in the capital region, with kaolin-based bodies and yellow and green as the dominant glaze colors.
2. c. 684–820Mangshan, Luoyang · Luoyang CityLavish burial customs in the high Tang drove Tang sancai to its peak. Large numbers of figurines, horses, camels and vessels excavated from Mangshan in Luoyang and the Huangye kiln at Gongyi show superb glazing techniques and bright colors. Neutron activation analysis confirms that sancai from Luoyang tombs mostly originated from the Gongyi kiln.
3. c. 820–900Huangye kiln, Gongyi · Gongyi CityAfter the Tianbao era, lavish burial customs gradually declined, and Tang sancai output and the proportion of fine pieces dropped. Vessel forms tended toward simplification, and glaze colors were less even and bright than in the high Tang, but the multi-colored lead glaze technique continued to the end of the Tang and influenced Liao and Song sancai and East Asian glazed pottery.