Ding ware
Traditional 定窯瓷
Ding ware is best known for ivory-white porcelain from Quyang in Hebei. Bowls may carry incised or moulded decoration, and some have an unglazed rim with a metal band. Its coloured glazes and historical tea associations require attention to the date and evidence for each object.
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Body#
Thin, resonant white porcelain body fired in coal-fuelled kilns with a slightly oxidizing atmosphere, producing a warm ivory-white glaze (and iron-rich black, persimmon-red, and purple glazes).1
Glazes#
| Glaze | 中文 | Description | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ivory-white Ding glaze | 定窑白釉（泪痕） | Warm ivory-toned transparent glaze often showing pale yellowish 'tear-streaks' (泪痕) where glaze pooled during firing. | 1 |
| Black Ding, Red Ding (persimmon), and Purple Ding | 黑定、红定（柿色釉）、紫定 | Historical colour names and modern glaze categories do not always coincide. Black, persimmon and so-called purple Ding should be linked to dated objects and the wording of the particular source, rather than presented as one established recipe or as proof of court tea use. | 1 |
Methods#
- Upside-down stepped saggar firing (覆烧工艺) and metal rim binding (镶口): In the mid-Northern Song, Ding kilns stacked bowls upside-down on stepped ring saggars to maximize kiln capacity and prevent warping, wiping the mouth rim free of glaze (芒口) and binding the unglazed rim afterward with gold, silver, or copper bands.1
Periods#
- Late Tang / Five Dynasties – Jin / YuanSucceeded Xing ware as the premier northern white porcelain in the Five Dynasties and Northern Song; supplied tribute tea bowls, zhantuo stands, and tangping ewers to the Northern Song court.1
Kiln sites#
| Site | Region | Period | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jiancicun Ding kiln site (涧磁村定窑遗址), Quyang, Hebei | hebei | Tang to Yuan (peak in Northern Song and Jin) | 1 |
Sources#
Status and editorial notes draft
Sources are listed below. Their presence does not certify every claim; source-specific interpretations and unresolved questions are identified in the text. This page has not received independent expert approval.
Exact supporting passages for the quantitative material claims and historical attributions still require checking against the cited publications.