Want to know the secret? Start with one: It’s one story, with two storylines. The first you can look and see right away. It’s the physical: the story of clay and glaze and kiln technology developing over 5,000 years. Ready? Here it is, from the neolithic to the last dynasty:
TL,DR: The 5,000=year tech plot is earthenware > stoneware > glazed stoneware > underglaze blue > overglaze enamels.
In 5,000 years the bodies went from earthenware to stoneware to porcelain and the surfaces went from incised and cold painted to burnished then lead glazed, iron glazed (white, green, brown and black) then underglaze blue to many colored enamels.
In the broadest possible terms , that’s the Technology Timeline of this 5,000 year story. To understand Chinese ceramics, keep this technology timeline in mind and look at another: the Dynastic Timeline.Chinese ceramics are often organized this way. But for b From these two timelines, you’ll be able to see the whole story, and place many or most pieces you come across in it.
