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Contemporary Painted Pottery

Painted Pottery continued to be produced throughout all of the dynasties of Chinese history though it has almost always existed in the shadow of porcelain. Along with Celadon porcelain it was the main product used by the people for their day to day activities. Cooking and food preparation was usually done with pottery rather than with porcelain.

From the middle of the Tang Dynasty, porcelain became a more artistic product and was seldom used for domestic purposes; this is especially true for the high quality porcelains produced throughout the Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties.

Today, the roles are somewhat reversed, the use of porcelain has tended to become more of a domestically used product and painted pottery an artistic form.
Since the late 17th century the production of porcelain has grown to such an extent that it is a common everyday item within most households. Dinner-sets, and " crockery " in general are all to a large extent produced from either porcelain or from " china-ware". China-ware is actually similar to porcelain though it is fired at a lower temperature.

Painted Pottery has become in the last twenty years a product that is almost purely decorative. Seldom is painted pottery ever used as a domestic product. The painted pottery produced today is of a highly decorative nature, the extensive use of colour combined with traditional designs of the Tang and Ming periods create works that are artistic and aesthetically pleasing.

Painted Pottery of the highest quality is produced in Central China around the western city of Chengdu. The area has become a center for such works although the quality varies greatly from one producer to the next.

High quality Painted Pottery is characterized by a thin wall construction that is similar to porcelain in nature and combined with brightly coloured enamels that, when added to the ancient raw materials, produces a product with a character and quality that is unique unto itself.

Silkporcelain.com supply a range of painted pottery that is individually selected based on the standards of style, construction and paint quality that is of the highest level.