What is painted porcelain？

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Generally speaking，prior to the Yuan Dynasty，celadon and white porcelain were the main porcelain products in ancient China.During the Yuan Dynasty，colored porcelain rose in numbers，and it thus remained as a main form of porcelain from the Yuan to the Qing dynasties.The porcelain vessels of the Yuan had already varied patterns of scrolls，leaves，sunflowers，peony，fruits，dragon，phoenix，flowing streams，etc；but a rich variety of painted designs opened great prospects for painting on Ming porcelain.

“Blue-and-white”porcelain made its first appearance at that time.

Potters used cobalt oxide as the main coloring agent in the pigment.They used to draw on the clay shapes.Then potters used a white glaze to cover the drawings before firing the clay at a high temperature.The result was blue-and-white porcelain.There were also other forms of painted porcelain，including under-glaze red porcelain，polychrome over-glaze decor porcelain and soft-colored over-glaze decor porcelain.

What is the tri-color pottery of the Tang Dynasty？

The emergence of tri-color pottery brought China’s age-old traditional pottery industry to a new high.Tang tri-color is the general name for color-glazed pottery of the Tang Dynasty.Its colors include yellow，green，brown，blue，black and white but yellow，green and brown are the major colors.The body is made from white clay.

After the clay mold is fired into a fixed shape，a mineral frit is applied.These minerals contain elements of copper，iron，cobalt and manganese.The body is then fired again at a temperature of around 900 degrees centigrade，allowing the different colors to permeate.

Tri-color pottery is used mainly for burial utensils，and rarely used for itemsof daily use.Most tri-color human figures are female.They range in size from a dozen centimeters to over one meter tall and wear gorgeous，fashionable costumes.

Their full figures and round faces are in conformity with the criteria of beauty of the Tang Dynasty. Of the animal figures，horses and camels account for the greatest number.Tang horses are robust and handsome.As they throw back their heads or rear up，their inner strength is depicted in outward appearance.The Tang camels are presented in a walking position or with their heads held high，as if whinnying.