Page 290 - Decorative Arts, Part II: Far Eastern Ceramics and Paintings, Persian and Indian Rugs and Carpets

foot-ring oxidation
The bottom of the foot of a ceramic vessel, at which A term indicating a kiln atmosphere in which oxygen
the clay body is usually exposed. is freely present.
glaze peachbloom glaze
A glasslike coating, usually containing silica and alu- A porcelain glaze in which copper oxide (the color-
mina, applied to ceramics for both decorative and ing agent) is partly reduced and partly oxidized in
functional reasons (for example, to make a vessel the kiln; ideally it is an even mixture of green and
impermeable to water). red colors.

kaolin petuntse
A gray or white elastic clay that with petuntse is one A material composed of quartz, feldspar, and mica
of the two key ingredients of porcelain. that, with kaolin clay, is a key ingredient of porcelain.
kiln pontil
An oven, usually made of brick, in which ceramics A stand, usually cylindrical, used to support a ceram-
are fired. ic vessel during firing in a kiln.
lappet porcelain
A stylized petal-shaped motif, usually repeated and A highly elastic combination of kaolin clay and
used as a decorative border in painted, incised, slip- petuntse, usually fired between 1,200 and 1,400
trailed, or molded decoration. degrees Celsius.
levigation powder blue glaze
The cleaning and preparation of clay before it is used A glaze achieved by blowing powdered cobalt oxide
to form ceramic vessels or objects. The aim of leviga- through a tube with gauze stretched over one end.
tion is to remove impurities and to obtain a uni-
formly dense clay. raku
A type of low-fired, lead-glazed earthenware made in
luting Japan from the late sixteenth century onward and
The process of attaching different parts of a ceramic
vessel or object together with liquid clay, or slip. used primarily in the tea ceremony.
reduction
meiping
Literally, "plum-blossom vase"; a vase with a narrow A kiln atmosphere in which oxygen is reduced to
mouth and neck, wide shoulder, and gradually taper- a minimum.
ing body. The name is suggestive of its use as a vessel ruyi
in which to display plum blossoms and does not pre- Literally "as you wish"; a term referring to the lingzhi
date the Qing dynasty. mushroom or fungus, symbolizing immortality.
mingqi sagger
Literally, "bright object"; a traditional Chinese term A stackable box, usually made of stoneware, in which
for objects, such as ceramic sculpture and models, a ceramic vessel is fired so as to obtain relatively uni-
buried in tombs for use by the deceased in the afterlife. form temperatures on each side of the vessel and
nianhao provides protection from atmospheric changes, fire,
A general term for a reignmark, often found on and flying debris.
ceramics of the Ming and Qing dynasties (and occa- shivering
sionally earlier); such reignmarks can be useful in The separation or flaking of glaze from the
determining the date of Chinese ceramics, although body; this glaze defect results when the glaze and
they are often copied and forged.
body contract at incompatible rates upon cooling.
"orange-skin' glaze The glaze comes under excessive compression if
A porcelain glaze with a bumpy or uneven surface, the expansion of the body is too great, causing it
characteristic of "soft paste" porcelains. to buckle.

274 D E C O R A T I V E A R T S