This Gaiwan is meticulously handcrafted using the blue-and-white with underglaze red technique. The artwork features camellia flowers, symbolising passion and beauty, often used to convey auspiciousness and blessings for happiness.
Blue-and-White with Underglaze Red (commonly known as “blue-and-purple”) is a ceramic decorative method in which underglaze red designs are added to blue-and-white patterns. Blue-and-white refers to patterns drawn with cobalt oxide, covered with a transparent glaze, and fired at over 1200°C in a reduction atmosphere to produce the characteristic underglaze decoration. Underglaze red uses copper oxide as a colouring agent, painted directly on the clay body (or on clay coated with a transparent white glaze), then covered with a clear glaze. After being placed in a saggar and fired at 1250–1280°C in a strong reduction atmosphere, the high-valence copper is reduced to low-valence copper, creating vivid yet subdued red patterns.
In this technique, underglaze red can be used to decorate the spaces between blue-and-white patterns, resulting in the unique combination known as blue-and-white with underglaze red. This complex process creates a striking artistic effect where blue, red, and white colours complement each other.
The production of blue-and-white with underglaze red ceramics is extraordinarily challenging. Historically, some artisans risked financial ruin in their pursuit of this technique due to its complexity. The difficulty arises because the cobalt (blue) and copper (red) oxides require different reduction temperatures, making it exceptionally hard to control the process. This results in a low success rate, with issues such as “flying red,” where the red and blue merge or the colours become indistinct and blurry.
Despite these challenges, the combination of blue-and-white with underglaze red achieves an unparalleled artistic effect, where the interplay of blue, red, and white elevates the beauty of ceramics to new artistic heights. This Gaiwan exemplifies the mastery of this rare and sophisticated craft, making it a stunning and meaningful piece of art.
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