Tang Sancai Pottery

Timeline

1. c. 700–730Huangye kiln, Gongyi · HenanIn the early Tang, kilns such as Huangye kiln in Gongyi, Henan, mastered multicolor glaze recipes using lead as flux, applying yellow, green, and brown glazes over a bisque-fired body and firing again at low temperature to create flowing glaze effects. Early works were mainly figurines and vessels, still relatively simple in form.
2. c. 731–760The twin capitals Chang'an and Luoyang · ChinaSancai production reached its peak in the Kaiyuan and Tianbao eras; burial goods such as camels carrying musicians, foreign figures, and tomb-guardian beasts were vigorous in form and brilliant in glaze. Numerous fine pieces were excavated from elite tombs in the two capitals, reflecting High Tang openness and Sino-foreign fusion aesthetics; some pieces were also used for court display.
3. c. 761–800Kilns of Shaanxi and Henan · ChinaAfter the An Lushan Rebellion, lavish burial customs were curbed, demand for sancai burial goods fell, and production shifted from the capital region to local kilns. Lead-glaze technique influenced West Asian ceramics via the Silk Road, while the Central Plains itself gradually turned toward higher-fired Yue celadon and Xing white porcelain aesthetics.