Water dropper with design of a boy sitting on a carp

Sculpture and Carved Decoration

Various types of ceramic wares were employed not only for household vessels but also for decorative sculptural forms. Of particular note are certain ceramic wares used specifically for sculpture: Dehua, Zhangzhou, Shiwan, and Yixing wares, all named for and characteristic of the places in which they were made.

Dehua wares, known in the West since the 1700s as blanc de Chine (“China white”), were produced in Dehua, in southeastern China’s Fujian province. Technical improvements achieved in the 1500s for obtaining and purifying the milk-white glaze and ivory-white clay made possible the sculpting of large figures in porcelain. Zhangzhou wares—those attributed to the Zhangzhou kiln, also in Fujian province—are distinctive for their crackled ivory-colored glaze.

The Shiwan kilns at Foshan, Guangdong province in southern China produced wares with thick bodies and colorful glazes, especially known in the West as flambé (suffused) glazes. Sculptural figures and architectural ceramics are particularly significant in Shiwan ware.

Clay found at Yixing, Jiangsu province in southeastern China was used to create ceramics in a characteristic range of dark colors—from brown, purple, and green to buff and beige. Yixing ceramics are known to enhance the color, fragrance, and taste of tea; therefore, the majority of Yixing ware is in the form of tea sets.