Craft:Chinese traditional handicraft with thousands of years history

Origin:Luoyang

Tang San Cai, also called Tricolor Glazed Pottery and a gem of ancient Chinese art, is a kind of handmade glazed ware of exquisite craftsmanship created in the Northern and Southern Dynasty (386-589) about 1,400 years ago. During the Tang Dynasty (618-907), the production of Tang San Cai reached its peak, which is part of the reason the pottery got the name of Tang San Cai.

Luoyang, named the eastern capital in ancient times, in Henan Province was the home of Tang San Cai, and most of unearthed Tang San Cai was found in Luoyang.

Tang San Cai is a polychrome handicraft with yellow, green, and white as its major tones. It is fired with lead glaze and presents a harmonious complex of varied colors, deep and light. The process is complicated: first, bake the ready mode in kilns until the temperature reaches 1,100oC, then take it out and apply glaze on it; bake it again in kilns at a temperature of about 900隆茫C.

Tang San Cai items that have been unearthed include horses, humans, and even pillows, and camels, of which the pottery camel is one of the best. Its head rises high, as if telling stories about merchant caravans along the Silk Road in the remote past and the prosperity of the Tang Dynasty.

Being the gem of ancient Chinese art, Tang San Cai absorbed the advantages of Chinese painting, sculpture and stone carving. It features fleshy figures, regular and exquisite technics, compact carving traces, and smooth lines, indicating the high-level of the craft reached in the Tang Dynasty. Tang San Cai is primaryly divided into pottery tomb-figures and daily commodities.

After the founding of new China, specialized institutions have been set up to study the technics of making Tang San Cai, which has boosted the development of the craft.

Artistic & Historical Background:   Listen to it

The artwork is a Chinese classical-style tri-coloured glazed statuette in the shape of a Qilin.

Tri-coloured glazed pottery was a treasure of ancient Chinese ceramic art, famous for its unique craftsmanship and rich colours.

The production process of tri-coloured glazed pottery is complex, involving multiple steps such as making the clay body, applying glazes, and firing.

In this artwork, we can see a delicate Qilin figure with blue body, golden head decorations, and a red flame pattern on its tail.

This form of art not only showcases the superb skills of ancient Chinese artists but also reflects the cultural and aesthetic values of that time.

The historical significance of this artwork lies in its representation of the development of ancient Chinese ceramic art.

The emergence of tri-coloured glazed pottery can be traced back to the Tang Dynasty, when ceramic artists continuously experimented and innovated, gradually forming a unique artistic style.

Over time, tri-coloured glazed pottery became an important part of Chinese ceramic art and had a profound impact on later generations.

In addition to its historical value, this artwork also has some collection value.

Due to its unique artistic style, exquisite craftsmanship, and historical and cultural connotations, this artwork may become a sought-after item among collectors.

For those who love culture and art, owning such an artwork not only allows them to appreciate its beautiful appearance but also enables them to understand the historical and cultural information it conveys.

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