Celadon wares: the old and the new
Though it was first discovered in China and called "qingci,"
which means greenish porcelain, the Western term "Celadon" has a
few possible origins. One is the character of a sheppard who
wore a light green cloak in Honore d'Urfe's 1610 play, L'Astree.
Another holds that celadon is the amalgamation of two Sanskrit
words, "sila" and "dhara" which mean stone and green
respectively. However the most common theory is that it is a
simplified version of salah-ed-din (Saladin), the sultan of
Egypt, who sent forty pieces of this ware to the sultan of
Damascus in 1171.
A type of porcelain, modern celadon products are usually made
in the light greens and blues even though celadon colors can
range from jade to white.
Indeed, the latest archeological evidence suggests celadon was
first fired in its white form in China at least 1,000 years ago,
if not more. Though it was previously believed celadon made its
first appearance in the Song Dynasty (930-1280), a January 2003
excavation of a kiln in China's Anhui province dating to the
Five Dynasties period (907-960) uncovered several hundred pieces
of white celadon.
But today and throughout most of history, celadon has been
known for its beautiful greens and blues. Its glaze comes from a
mixture of several natural materials and is fired in a gas kiln
at at least 1280 degrees Celsius for 10 hours. Celadon's
characteristic cracks are caused by the contraction of the body
of the celadon product under the glaze during the firing
process. They give celadon products an air of class and
antiquity even when they are brand new.
Celadon was brought back to Thailand from Burma around 100
years ago by the Shan people who migrated at the time. With the
rapid decline of Chinese celadon after 1912, a market for the
Thai brand opened and slowly the Thai and Shan potters rose to
meet those needs. Since then, the industry has prospered with
Chiang Mai as its center and today there are many small, and a
few large manufacturers of Thai celadon which is mainly glazed
in the popular shades of green.
New breakthroughs in the technical process of firing celadon
now offer many new contemporary colors. Modern Asian designers
have skillfully blended the new designs with the centuries-old
craft traditions to create breathtaking celadon wares which are
now available to art enthusiasts around the world.