Study on Cizhou‐Style Inlaid Porcelain, the Northern Song Dynasty (960–1,127 AD), China

Abstract

The production of inlaid porcelain once prevailed in the Northern Song (960–1,127 AD) and Jin Dynasties (1,125–1,234 AD) across the north of China. During that time, the influence of the Cizhou kiln was considerable. However, we know little about the inlaying techniques used in ancient Chinese porcelain. In order to address this gap in knowledge, a total of seven pieces of inlaid porcelain sherds with the Cizhou style of the Northern Song Dynasty were analyzed by optical microscope (OM), X‐ray fluorescence spectrometry (XRF), X‐ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscope (SEM) in association with energy dispersive spectrometry (EDS). The results reveal that the material of inlay is identical with the slip, and the production process is also clearly shown. In addition, the international ceramic technological interaction of inlaid porcelain in Northeast Asia is discussed according to the analysis results.