Linglongporcelain

Linglongporcelain was created and developed on the basis of piecedwork during the Xuande reign of theMing Dynasty(1368-1644). Reputed as "porcelain inlaid with glass",linglongporcelain is famous both at home and abroad for its exquisitely carved patterns and glittering, translucent appeal.

Grain-sized holes were hollowed out in the thin roughcast and the glaze was applied several times to cover them. Then, the half-finished products were baked in kilns to producelinglongporcelain.

Characterized by pierced ornamentation, the porcelain saw some developments in terms of technique in the Qing Dynasty. During this period, craftsmen ingeniously integrated the techniques of making blue-and-white porcelain with that oflinglongporcelain to create the blue-and-whitelinglongporcelain much loved by the people. The dark-green transparentlinglongdesigns and emerald-green blue-and-white patterns served as a foil to each other, creating a unique sense of beauty.

Linglongwares were generally limited to small objects, such as cups, brush pots and covered jars. The decoration was sometimes unglazed, left either white or enhanced with gilding or colored glazes.