Page 17 - Zhangzhou Or Swatow The Collection of Zhangzhou Ware at the Princessehof Museum, Leeuwarden, Netherlands

inhoudidddd

Zhangzhou Ware with Slip Decoration

Slip is liquid clay mostly used as an undercoat for glazes to produce a smooth surface. The slip applied as
decoration on Zhangzhou ware is a fine white porcelain clay diluted to a creamy consistence. It was used under
the glaze as well as decoratively applied to the already glazed surface.

The technique of painting in white clay slip on a monochrome ground was used in the Wanli period (1573-
1620) at Jingdezhen, Jiangxi. The British Museum preserves a couple of monochrome vases glazed in blue and
brown with a white slip decoration from this period.

It seems that this technique was also used in the kilns of Zhangzhou. Shards of this ware were excavated at the
kiln sites of Huazhilou (Nansheng) and Dongkou (Wuzhai).

Vessels with this type of decoration are large dishes, bottles with a garlic shaped mouth, censers and boxes.
These wares were first given an overall white slip coating, and afterwards glazed in monochrome blue, brown,
or light celadon. The painting was done in low relief on the glaze in slip, a solution of water and fine clay.

The unique and fine designs of Zhangzhou slip decorated ware are of a decorative technique quite different
from other blue and white or polychrome Zhangzhou wares and asked for special expertise of the potters. The
designs were painted with white slip of different density using dots and lines to produce delicate effects. The
most frequent pattern was a bouquet of three flowers with radial petals and feathery leaves, painted on brown
or blue glazes. These stylized flowers, often taken as chrysanthemums by a Western eye, are called kembang
kates “papaya flowers” in Indonesia. They appear on dishes with an everted rim. This pattern was very
successful and dishes with this design can be found in Southeast Asia, Japan, Sri Lanka, India and Europe.

Slip decoration on a brown glaze was particularly popular in Japan, where it was called mochibana de, literally
“Mochi-flower style”. Mochibana is a traditional Japanese New Year’s decoration made from mochi, little balls
of rice-cake that look like flowers.

Less elaborate slip patterns on a light celadon glaze are found in Southeast Asia and the Philippines.

Ref.: Harrisson 1979; Harrison-Hall 2001; Canepa 2006; McElney 2006; Crick 2010; Sargent 2012; Stroeber
2013

17