Traditional Chinese Ceramic Craftsmanship: Engraved Porcelain

Carving is a traditional Chinese ceramic decoration technique, known as “Carved,” which involves using bamboo or iron tools to engrave patterns onto the surface of dried or semi-dried clay bodies. This technique creates three-dimensional shadow effects by removing clay, encompassing various processes such as carved decoration and comb-scratched patterns. It matured during the Northern Song Dynasty and became popular in kilns across the north and south, with Longquan Kiln and Yaozhou Kiln being representative kilns for this type of decoration.
Carved decoration is often combined with incised decoration to form the carved-incised technique, featuring deeper carving and distinct layers of patterns. Concealed carving involves engraving patterns on the bisque before glazing and firing, creating recessed designs. The single-entry side-knife technique, emerging in the mid-Northern Song Dynasty, combined broad slanting cuts with deep vertical incisions. Widely applied at kilns like Yaozhou and Ding, its motifs encompassed floral arrangements, fish and dragons, and scenes of children at play. In modern applications, Pingding black-glazed carved porcelain employs either “carving with reserved base” or “reserving base with carved patterns” techniques. Ru ware carving revives Song Dynasty patterns and is listed in Luoyang's intangible cultural heritage registry, while Dafeng porcelain carving utilizes chiseling techniques and gained national intangible cultural heritage status in 2021. The I-shaped cylinder engraving tool used in Jun porcelain production addresses traditional pattern fracture issues.

The craft of Pingding Black Glaze Engraved Ceramics, designated as the fourth batch of national intangible cultural heritage projects, employs Guanzhuang kaolin clay. The clay undergoes dozens of processes including aging, iron removal, blending, grinding, steaming, and kneading to form the body. Before the body dries, engraving is done with a knife instead of a brush in one continuous motion. The lines are graceful and flowing, while the imagery is vividly abstracted. Primarily employing black and white hues, these ceramics undergo specialized firing and kiln transformation, resulting in works that harmoniously blend material beauty, decorative artistry, minimalist imagery, and rustic elegance. Moreover, Pingding carved porcelain still preserves unique techniques including brown glaze, white glaze, yellow glaze, imitation Ge ware crackle glaze, kiln-change glaze, paper-cut stencil decoration with added color, and wood-leaf kiln-change glaze.