Vases Glazed And Decorated On Display In Bird And Flower Market

Chinese porcelain

'' This article is concerned with the porcelain wares of China, from early times until the present day. In scope it covers a wide range of Chinese high-fired ceramics, some of which would probably not be recognised as porcelain under some Western definitions of that term. Chinese porcelain is usually green-fired or once-fired, which means that the body and the glaze are fired together. After the body of a piece is formed and finished it is dried, coated with a glaze, dried again and fired. In the high temperature of the kiln the body and the glaze are fused together to become a unit. Chinese enamelled wares are also produced in this way, but the enamels are added after the first, high-temperature, firing and the pieces are sent for a second firing in a smaller, lower-temperature kiln. Suitably modified with a flux, the material used to form the body of a piece of Chinese porcelain was often used as a glaze. The similarity in composition of the body and the glaze helped to produce a good fit between the two that reduced cracking in the glaze.'' Src: Wikipedia