Celadon

By the Sung period in China (960-1279AD), celadon glazes had reached their height. Greatly prized for their beautiful colours, these celadons had a profound depth and changeability of character, reminiscent of the hues to be found in a cool body of water. Pots produced for the imperial court carried elegant sgraffito designs using the fluxing characteristic of celadon to create a deepening of tone within the decorative cuts. Specially formulated and developed during reduction firing, celadon glaze colours range from turquoise to melt-water blue, grey to soft green and olive. Varying in density from opaque to transparent and with surface finishes smooth matt to high gloss, some celadons may also exhibit the crackle characteristics much prized by the potters of ancient China, lending an interesting textural quality to finished pieces.