Manufacturing technique for Jizhou painted porcelains in the Yuan dynasty and its influence on coloring

Abstract

The Jizhou kiln was an important production center of the painted porcelains in Southern China during the Song and Yuan dynasties. The manufacturing technique of the painted porcelains in the Jizhou kiln potentially facilitated the emergence of the well-known blue-and-white porcelains in Jingdezhen. Herein, the chemical compositions and microstructures of the bodies, glazes and paintings of Jizhou painted porcelains from the Yuan dynasty were investigated through X-ray fluorescence (XRF), optical microscopy (OM), Raman spectroscopy and field emission scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM‒EDS) to clarify the manufacturing characteristics of Jizhou painted porcelains and their impact on the coloring mechanism. The results showed that the bodies of Jizhou painted porcelains were made of local clay and those transparent glazes were made of local sericite-rich clay and botanic ashes. Black‒brown painted porcelains and red‒brown painted porcelains were methodically made by ancient potters by controlling pigment formulation, painting techniques and firing schedules. The colors of the black‒brown painting and the red‒brown painting were related to the α-Fe2O3 particles in the iron-rich minerals used in the pigment and the iron oxide crystals (α-Fe2O3 and ε-Fe2O3) precipitated on the glaze surface, respectively.