Precious porcelain

Meet the original It item from many centuries ago - Chinese porcelain.

Dewy, delicate and oh-so- difficult to duplicate, the precious white ceramic was coveted around the world as early as the 9th century.

Royalty, nobility and the socially aspirational all yearned to own a piece, or more, of china.

It found its way into foreign imperial courts as opulent ornaments, onto banquet tables of the rich overseas as luxurious crockery and into the personal histories of families in Europe as bearers of coats of arms.

It is the star of a new show, China Mania! The Global Passion For Porcelain, 800-1900, at the Asian Civilisations Museum here.

Porcelain was first made in kilns in China during the Tang dynasty (618-907) but its early history and rise to domestic popularity is not the focus of this exhibition.

Instead, the more than 180 sumptuous artefacts on display tell the story of the international trade spurred by made-in-China porcelain and how it, in turn, fired up creativity in ceramic art and crafts.

To suit the taste of clients from different cultures, diverse forms and styles of porcelain were made, fusing Chinese motifs and designs with foreign aesthetic elements such as complex geometric patterns from the Middle East.

The popularity of china also sparked competition overseas, inspiring lookalikes and innovative copies. When exports of porcelain fell during periods of political instability in China, rival kilns such as those in South-east Asia seized the chance and filled the gap in supply.

For a long time, however, few imitations came close to the real thing.

Asian Civilisations Museum director Alan Chong, 52, says potters in Europe were among those who tried, but failed, for many centuries to replicate Chinese porcelain.

"There are stories that spies were sent to kilns in China to discover the secret," he says.

Early attempts to produce Chinese porcelain overseas were unsuccessful because potters lacked the right material - kaolin - a special mix of clay rich in silicates that resulted in the durable, translucent ceramic. It was not until the 18th century that German potters outside Dresden came up with the right mix of clay to make china.

In Vietnam, potters turned their attention to making copies.

They coated stoneware, usually grey or brown, with white slip to achieve the look and colour of Chinese porcelain.

The influence also went the other way.

Chinese potters looked to ceramics made overseas for ideas to improve china. An example is seen in the blue glaze used to make blue-and-white Chinese porcelain.

Dr Chong says: "The blue glaze is not something that is native to China, it actually came from Iran. In the 9th century, potters in Iran were making their ceramics with blue glaze.

These made their way to China and China then bought the ore that would be processed into blue glaze."

A showcase in the exhibition illustrates this exchange of ideas by juxtaposing porcelain from China and other countries.

There are pieces of porcelain made in China that inspired replicas in Europe and equally, creations from Japan that sparked Chinese imitations. Without looking at the labels, it would be hard to tell the original apart from the knock-off.

Noting this mutual emulation, Dr Chong says: "Today's smartphone wars are really nothing compared to what was happening in the 16th and 17th century, with people copying one another, trying to corner the market, trying to dominate the trade and export."

lijie@sph.com.sg

Asian Civilisations Museum director Alan Chong highlights porcelain artefacts from the show

BOAR'S HEAD TUREEN WITH SERVING DISH

Porcelain with painted enamel, China, around 1760

Large ceramic tureens in the shape of animals, such as ducks, fish and boar, were popular in Europe in the second half of the 18th century. Served at meal times, such soup dishes are believed to have been first made in France and then copied by the Chinese for export to Europe.

This tureen, modelled after a boar's head, is vividly coloured and sports details such as finely painted bristles.

The top half of the boar's head lifts off like a lid so that soup or stew can be poured into the tureen or served from it. When covered, steam from the hot soup comes out of the boar's nostrils. The tureen is brought to the dining table with the matching serving dish that has a picture of a boar's head.

SET OF THREE BOWLS

Porcelain and painted enamel, China, 1879-1880 These bowls are part of a service made for Prince Zill al-Sultan (1850-1918), son of Shah Nasir of Iran and governor of Isfahan. He is identified by the Persian inscriptions on all three bowls.

The Persian calligraphy in gold and the decoration showing Chinese domestic scenes reflect a meeting of cultures, and how although this Chinese porcelain is tailored for the Iranian market, the Iranians also wanted images of China.

SET OF FIVE BOAR-SHAPED DISHES Porcelain, China, 1621-1627

These small dishes were made to hold snacks served at the meal during a Japanese tea ceremony. Such dishes come in a variety of shapes and forms, in sets of five or 10. This set was recently acquired by the museum.

Unlike most porcelain, this has a rustic appearance, which suggests the client's taste for something less refined.

The paintwork lacks details and looks like it was done briskly. The rims of the dishes are rough and slightly chipped.

Analysis of the glaze shows that this was a deliberate effect; glaze was applied a little over the edge of the dishes so that it fuses only partially to create an appearance known as mushikui in Japanese, or moth-eaten.

INCENSE BURNER

Assembled in Europe, 18th century porcelain horse: China, 1661-1722; lacquer bowls: Japan, 17th century; gilded bronze mounts: France, 1770s This is an unusual vessel with many components.

The porcelain horse, which rests on a base that is glazed green, perhaps to look like grass, is highly detailed and expressive.

Above it, two lacquer bowls are set rim to rim.

A metal tray inside the bowls would hold burning incense and smoke would escape through openings in the gilded band that holds the bowls together. The various parts are brought together by gilded bronze mounts and a piece of red coral tops off the burner.

This fantastical creation, blending objects from different cultures and the natural with the man-made, was popular during the Baroque and Rococo periods of the 17th and 18th centuries in Europe.

EWER IN THE FORM OF A DANCING WOMAN 

Porcelain and painted enamel, China, 1522-1600

This water pitcher comes in the form of a colourful dancing woman, shown in court robes. Her raised arm forms a spout and her lowered arm, the handle.

The naturalistic swirl of the robes makes the figure appear to be dancing.

Only a handful of other examples are known of this type of porcelain. Rarity does not, in itself, make this ewer special but the other pieces are documented in extraordinary collections, including an almost identical ewer in the collection of the Mughal emperor Jahangir, from around 1600, illustrated in one of his manuscript albums in Teheran.

This points to how Chinese porcelain was sought after around the world. This piece is a recent acquisition by the museum.

View it

CHINA MANIA! THE GLOBAL PASSION FOR PORCELAIN, 800-1900

Where: Asian Civilisations Museum, 1 Empress Place

When: Till Dec 14, 10am - 7pm (Sat to Thur), 10am - 9pm (Fri)

Admission: Free for citizens, permanent residents and children aged six and below; $8 (adult), $4 (student and senior aged 60 and above)

This article was first published on August 5, 2014.
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