Blanc de Chine

Blanc de Chine was first manufactured during the Song dynasty (960-1279), a period famous for the increasing influence of the merchant class, invention of gunpowder, and beautiful, new styles of drawing, calligraphy and hard-glazed porcelain. Dehua wares sold to other continents during the Song and Yuan (1279-1368) dynasties obtained excellent international reputation. Other than exports to Europe, surprisingly large amounts of Dehua porcelain have been located in collectionc of Indonesian and Philippine Art experts.

White porcelain has always been very popular among the Chinese, who love simple, practical and traditional home decoration. It must also be mentioned that white, the color of filial piety in China, is also the color of death and mourning in Chinese symbolism. This may explain why most of the wares of Dehua are of devotional nature, such as religious statues and incense burners, altar candlesticks and other ritual objects.

Some written records from the year of 1604 link Blanc de Chine wares to Buddhist figures used in Buddhist ceremonies. According to some very old written documentation of Chinese pottery making, the white color is a left-over of Mongol influence.

There are 3 main types of Blanc de Chine

(1) First, sculptural figures, usually of Buddhist or Taoist deities but sometimes of Westerners as well.

(2) Second, round wares manufactured for export, and described as household items, e.g., bowls, dishes, cups, boxes, plates, teapots, wine bottles, and various food and cosmetics jars.

(3) Third, there are pressed wares, such as brush rests, brush washers, boxes, water droppers, porcelain seals, and paste boxes, appurtenances for writing and painting. This last category includes items for the expert eyes of the Chinese scholars. Scholars found the simplicity of ornament in use at Dehua highly appealing for its humble appearance.

According to the Kangxi Encyclopedia written around 1700, the clay for Blanc de Chine, called pai tz'u (white clay) was mined in the hills behind the Cheng monastery and found at Yung-hing. The white color of Blanc de Chine is due to the lack of iron (less than 0.5 percent ferric oxide) in the clay mined there. Rich in quartz and kaolin, sericite and feldspar, low levels of iron as ingredients, led to the production of high quality white porcelain.

Blanc de Chine comes in a variety of white shades, with pink, rosy, and green tinges to pure white. Pieces of the highest quality will have a slightly brownish tinge on their surface, and are referred to as having the color of ivory-white or the color of goose-down white (white with a slight yellow tinge). The second type of white has a definite creamy appearance; and the third one is bluish white. Western customers prefer the pinkish hue, with a translucent body that can be observed when a fine piece of Blanc de Chine is held up towards a light-source. There can be any numbers of variations in the shades of white, and two pieces of Blanc de Chine placed beside one-another will rarely exhibit the same color.