::CHINA ART LTD:: / Gallery / Tang and Liao periods

Sancai (three-colour) ware is without doubt the type most typical of the Tang dynasty although famous Tang wares also include Yue celadons from Zhejian province and Xingzhou white wares from Hebei province. Sancai ware was reserved for funerary goods and has been found in the tombs of the elite. It developed from Han lead-glazed ware with potters making use of new polychrome glazing techniques imported from Central Asia, which were quickly assimilated by craftsman of the Tang Dynasty. This culture of the imperial court, which flourished from the early Tang Dynasty until its peak period, went into decline after the rebellions (755-763) of An Lushan and Shi Siming. The Yue kilns began to develop a new type of celadon, different from Old Yue ware. This type of celadon was frequently celebrated in poems and essays from the second half of the 8th century through the second half of the 9th century.