What are the characteristics of the times in terms of content, format, font, and calligraphy?

It is best to consult relevant experts and books for this kind of thing. It cannot be done in a short time. Of course, it is more important to accumulate relevant experience.

Identification of ceramic inscriptions in the past dynasties

The inscriptions on ceramics refer to engraving, scratching, printing or writing on the bottom or other parts of the object to indicate the age, place of origin, name of the hall, There are also words on the name of the person, purpose and auspicious words, and some have some kind of pattern on the bottom or body of the vessel. Since the content, format, font, calligraphy and other aspects of the mark have distinctive characteristics of the times, it plays an important role in dating ceramics, determining the kiln mouth and identifying authenticity. It is an important link in identification.

Types of markings

The markings on ceramics can be roughly divided into six categories: chronological markings, hall name markings, personal name markings, auspicious language markings, pattern markings and other special categories. payment.

Chronological mark: Chronological mark is a mark that indicates the year when the porcelain was fired. The chronological inscriptions can be divided into two categories: one is based on the reign name of the emperor at that time, such as "Xuande Year System of the Ming Dynasty", "Kangxi Year System of the Qing Dynasty" and so on. The other type uses the combination of heavenly stems and earthly branches, which is called the year of stems and branches, such as "Bingyin Jidan in the year of Emperor Mingming", "Bingwu in Qianlong" and so on. Most of the porcelains from official kilns have chronological inscriptions, but some private kilns also have chronological inscriptions. The fonts of the chronological inscriptions in folk kilns are rather sloppy and far less regular than those in official kilns. The Ming and Qing dynasties were more common in using stems and branches to mark the year on porcelain.

Tang name: refers to the own hall number engraved, printed and written on privately-made porcelain. The content includes the name of the hall, the name of the house, the name of the pavilion, the name of the mansion, the name of the room, the name of the hall, the name of the building, the name of the pavilion, etc. Hall names such as "Zishu Hall" and "Dong Shu Hall" were already seen in the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty, and were popular in the late Ming Dynasty. In the Qing Dynasty, Yueyue existed in all dynasties, and was especially popular during the Kangxi period, such as "Zhonghe Hall", "Shende Hall", "Zhuocunzhai", "Fuxiangxuan" and so on.

Personal name: refers to the name or alias engraved, printed, or written on ceramics made by craftsmen or private individuals. For example, the Yue kiln celadon in the Three Kingdoms period was "made by Shi Yuan Yi", the Changsha kiln in the Tang Dynasty was "Zheng Jia Xiaokou's best in the world", the Cizhou kiln in the Song Dynasty was "made by Zhang Jia" porcelain pillows, etc. It was common in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, such as "Made by Chen Shougui", "Made by Mi Shiyin in the first year of Tianqi", "Collected by Master Chunyu" and so on.

Auspicious words: refers to the auspicious words engraved, printed, and written on ceramics, expressing praise and blessing. They were most popular from the late Ming Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty, such as "Wan Fu Xiu Tong", "Wealth and Good Weapons", "Peace in the World", "Longevity, Longevity and Health" and so on. There are also inscriptions with only one word, such as "Fu", "Shou", etc.

Pattern style: refers to the auspicious patterns and marks engraved, printed, calligraphy and painting on ceramics, also known as "mark style". Most of the patterns are used in folk kilns. The most popular in the Ming and Qing dynasties, such as Bagua, Tai Chi, Eight Treasures, Sea, Rabbit, Pisces, Ganoderma lucidum and so on.

Other special categories: There are also some items that cannot be classified into the above categories, such as "tea", "wine", "lang", etc., which are collectively referred to as other special categories.

The origin and development of style recognition

Some engraved symbols have been found on pottery as far back as the Neolithic Age. For example, 270 various inscribed symbols have been found on pottery unearthed from sites such as Banpo in Xi'an and Jiangzhai in Lintong of the Yangshao culture. In addition, many engraved symbols have been found on pottery unearthed from Longshan Culture in Shandong, Maqiao in Shanghai, Liangzhu in Zhejiang and other sites; painted symbols have also been found on pottery unearthed from Ledu in Qinghai Province and Banshan in Gansu Province. These engraved or painted symbols are the earliest prototype of Chinese characters and the origin of Chinese ceramic style. During the Shang and Zhou dynasties, most of the inscriptions on tiles and pottery were serial numbers, and a few were names. The inscriptions and characters on bricks, tiles, and pottery from the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period have been found in various places, and their number has gradually increased. The pottery and bricks of the Qin and Han Dynasties were very rich in text, and the content involved was also wider than before. Most of the text on the pottery reflects the situation of the pottery handicraft industry, such as the number or mark of the utensil (one, two, three... etc.), the official signature of the pottery handicraft industry (Zuo Sikong, You Sikong, Dashui, Beisi). etc.), the name of the workshop (Anlu Shiting, Lishi, Duting, etc.), the name of the potter (Yiqu, Huo, Cheng, Cang, etc.), as well as the place name (Yiyang, Xincheng, Lantian, etc.), the owner of the artifacts Names (Beiyuan Lu's Fou, Xiajia Wang's Fou, etc.), names of places where the utensils are placed (Gongsang, Dazhan, Lishan Palace, etc.), etc., and some auspicious words began to appear on the tiles and shuns (Long Live Qianqiu, Long Live Qianqiu, Changle Weiyang, longevity and longevity, etc.), most of the types of recognitions of later generations were already available at this time, which was the first of its kind for Chinese ceramics.

The earliest mark on porcelain found so far is an Eastern Han Dynasty celadon double-series dish-mouth pot unearthed in Yin County, Zhejiang Province. The bottom foot is engraved with the word "Wang Zun" in official script. Porcelain with chronological inscriptions was first seen in the Three Kingdoms period. For example, a piece of Yue kiln Qinghuzi unearthed from the Zhaoshigang tomb in Nanjing has the inscription "Yuan Yi, the master of Shangyu in Kuaiji" engraved on its abdomen. , not only has the date, but also the firing place, the name of the craftsman, etc. A celadon granary unearthed from an ancient tomb in Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province. The tortoise stele on the top depicts on the front: "In the third year of Yong'an (260 years), he was rich and foreign (xiang), a good official, many descendants, long life, thousands of wishes (billions). ), the inscription includes the year and the auspicious words of blessing. A bear-shaped oil lamp was also unearthed from the Wu Tomb in Qingliangshan, Nanjing, with the inscription "Made in May of the first year of Ganlu (265)" engraved on it. These are three very rare artifacts with dating dates, which provide us with a standard instrument for correct dating. The unique characteristics of its markings are: underglaze engraving, and the font is almost cursive.

A kind of celadon flat kettle made in the Western Jin Dynasty. Many of them have been unearthed in various places. It has a peculiar shape, with a short neck, a flat belly, a wide bottom, and two sides. The inscriptions of "Xiangu 〓一" and "Purple (this) is the author of Yu Fanxiu of Kuaiji" make us know that this kind of celadon flat kettle was called "〓" at that time. There is a kind of opium recorded in the literature of the Han Dynasty. Yan Shigu's note in "Han Shu" says: "〓, the long-necked opium." But what exactly is opium? It has been unknown for a long time. In 1972, a celadon long-necked chicken-head pot was unearthed from the Jin Tomb of the Nanjing Chemical Fiber Factory. The bottom was engraved with the seven characters "The owner's surname is Huang and his name is Qizhi". This allows us to know the name of the pot and the name of its owner. It turns out that this kind of long-necked pot The pot is called "poppy", which is consistent with the literature records.

Tang Dynasty ceramic inscriptions were still mainly carved, but inscriptions written in color under the glaze appeared. Judging from the kiln entrance, most of the engravers were from the Yue kiln, and those who wrote in color were mostly from the Changsha kiln. Its contents include not only the year, name, place of origin, but also the inscription with the nature of product advertising. Most of the fonts are cursive, and regular script is rare. The parts for carving and writing are not fixed.

A Yue kiln celadon ewer collected by the Shanghai Museum has three lines of text carved on the belly: "The seventh year of Huichang was changed to the ear of the Qingming old record on March 14, the first year of Dazhong (847). ". The inscription on this artifact records the change of era name at that time. A Yue kiln celadon poppy unearthed in Shengxian County, Zhejiang Province has 17 characters engraved on its belly: "This poppy was made on April 1st, the 4th year of Yuanhe (819), and is worth one thousand coins." The date of production and the name of the vessel are clearly marked. ,value. A printed bowl unearthed in Ningbo, Zhejiang Province has the four characters "Dazhong 2nd Year" on the inner bottom, which is a simple chronological mark. In addition, there are celadon epitaphs with inscribed characters, including dates, names, deeds, etc.

In the Tang Dynasty, Changsha kilns used color writing to write inscriptions, and many of them had the nature of product advertisements. This was a major invention of Changsha kilns, such as "Zhengjia Xiaokou is the best in the world", "Bianjia Xiaokou is famous in the world", " His words fill the world without ever having to say anything wrong," and so on. On exported objects, "Allah is the greatest" is also written in Arabic to adapt and cater to the needs of the Arab people.

The famous Xing kiln white porcelain of the Tang Dynasty has the characters "Ying" and "Hanlin" engraved on it, or products with the characters "Hanlin" written on it. "Ying" is the name of the "Daying" warehouse in the palace. In short, they are official supplies. In addition, in 1978, the tomb of Qian Kuan, the father of Wuyue King Qian Liao, was discovered in Lin'an, Zhejiang Province. 19 pieces of white porcelain were unearthed, most of which had the words "official" or "new official" engraved on the bottom. These white porcelains from the late Tang Dynasty Exquisite, fine and clean, it is not an ordinary folk porcelain, and the meaning of the designation is also clearly told to people.

There are also artifacts engraved with the word "official" in Yue Kiln celadon of the Five Dynasties, such as the Five Dynasty Tombs in Lin'an, Zhejiang Province. A double-series vase from the Yue kiln was unearthed, with the word "official" carved on the belly.

Henan porcelain kilns produced a kind of porcelain from the Tang Dynasty to the Northern Song Dynasty, and the bottom of the pillow was often engraved with the inscription produced by a certain workshop. For example, there is a porcelain pillow collected by the Shanghai Museum. The bottom of the pillow is engraved with the four characters "Du Family Flower Pillow". Among the handed down products, there are also more porcelains from the Song Dynasty with the characters "Pei Family Flower Pillow" inscribed on them. Marks, names of craftsmen, production dates, Tang poems and Song lyrics, auspicious sentences, palace names and special inscriptions on palace porcelain, etc. The general feature is that the inscriptions tend to be concise, and the inscriptions are still mainly inscribed, but the number of inscriptions is gradually increasing. , the seals are also increased compared to the previous period

Identification of counterfeit porcelain in the Qing Dynasty:

The Kangxi style is characterized by its tall and elegant characters, with the word "水" in the lower half of the word "Kang". The word "〓" is usually written as "〓"; the word "〓" has the highest point.

During the Republic of China, there were many imitations of Kangxi styles, but the fonts were less similar and most were quite different. For Kangxi enamel wares, the base mark should be "Kangxi Imperial Production", while the six-character mark in the book is a fake.

Yongzheng's calligraphy seems to be written by one person alone, so it is unique and cannot be matched by imitations in the past. There were many imitations of Yongzheng styles in Daoguang, Xianfeng and the Republic of China, but the fonts were larger and the strokes were soft and weak, making them distinguishable.

The Qianlong style of writing is mainly in seal script, and the character "Qian" written in it is generally written in the shape of "〓", but there are also some that are not regular and slightly different from it, so it cannot be generalized in the identification. . The imitations of later generations had thick fonts during the Guangxu period and thin and weak fonts during the Republic of China.

There is another kind of post-additional payment that should also be noted. There are two main methods: (1) Adding and engraving rare year numbers on old or new vessels, that is, the era when there was little or no recognition of the style in the existing ceramics, such as "Shaoxi" in the Song Dynasty, "Hongwu" in the Ming Dynasty, etc., so that One cannot compare. (2) Rotate off the old model and embed it at the bottom of the fake model. It was most popular during the Republic of China. When identifying, pay attention to the abnormal traces of glaze on the bottom of the foot.

Distinguish the material:

Look at the color: Porcelain is usually made of porcelain clay, and porcelain clay is divided into grades. Porcelain clay is white after high-temperature reduction and sintering. The higher the sintering temperature, the whiter it is. High, the whiter the firing whiteness, the more expensive the porcelain clay will be, and the firing cost will increase accordingly. The general firing temperature of porcelain is usually above 1260 degrees Celsius.

Pottery is made of clay, which has a high iron content. Works fired by oxidation firing usually appear beige, while those fired by reduction firing will appear darker, depending on the iron content. Usually in Earthy yellow to dark brown.

Listen to the sound: If you tap the work lightly, if it makes a crisp and loud sound, the firing temperature must be higher, the degree of porcelain will be better, and the quality of the work will be better.

Identification of molding methods:

A work may be completed using different molding methods. Which molding method is used plays a big role in the production cost. The following are common methods for pottery making. Forming method and explanation of how to judge.

Rotary ring machine forming method: This forming method uses a mold, so the size of the finished products is almost the same. Because it is made with a rotary cup machine, most of the ceramic types produced include cups and bowls. , disk, etc.

Group injection molding method: This molding method uses plaster molds, so the production speed is fast, and the size of the finished products is also the same. Ceramic works that cannot be molded with a rotary molding machine must be made using plaster molding. Most of them are used to make shapes such as vases, animals, figures, etc.

Compression molding method: Usually this molding method is used to roughly shape the work, and then the entire work is surface-treated. The finished product may have uneven molding from the inside. surface.

Hand-pull ring molding method: Most vases are made using this molding method. The biggest distinguishing feature is that most of the vases will have hand-pulling lines or traces of repair inside the work.

Ceramic plate forming method: The works produced by this forming method usually have flat and cut surfaces, and the works are often square or rectangular.

Hand-kneading molding method: The hand-kneading molding method is used to make hand-kneaded pots. It is completely made by hand and using tools. The author can freely change it during production, so there will be no two identical works.

Clay strip molding method: Using this molding method, the shape can be changed a lot, and the works produced are usually more delicate, and you can avoid slow work and careful work.

Hand-extruded ring forming method: Larger pottery works usually use this forming method. This method can usually be distinguished by the fact that it will leave hand-extruded lines or slap marks on the outside or inside.

The firing method can be distinguished by the color of the ring body of the work:

Reduction firing: Generally, after the porcelain clay is reduced and sintered at high temperature, the color of the body will appear white. After the clay is reduced and fired, the clay will have a darker color due to its higher iron content. Depending on the iron content, the color of the clay will usually range from khaki to dark brown.

Oxidation firing: The color of porcelain clay after oxidation sintering appears off-white. The color of the body of the work fired in the clay oxidation firing place is usually beige.

Identify the firing method based on the glaze color of the work:

The glaze colors that need to be restored are: copper red, celadon, and Jun kiln.

Most glaze colors fired by oxidation: crystalline glaze.

Other glaze colors can generally be fired by reduction or oxidation firing.

Things used for color firing are not within the above range.