Inviting Guests

At that moment, Chu Chen picked up the gourd-shaped vase and said, "The reason I said it was an official-kiln piece imitating Ming Dynasty workmanship is that its characteristics are very obvious..."

As one of the Five Great Kilns of the Song Dynasty, official-kiln porcelain had always been admired by rulers and refined scholars for its crystal-clear glaze color, distinctive crazing, and other features. Thus, imitations were produced throughout the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties.

Ming Dynasty imitations of Song official-kiln porcelain were mainly concentrated in the Chenghua era. Their characteristics included a sauce-yellow glaze applied to the foot, a glaze color that was bluish with a grayish cast, a relatively lustrous surface, large but faint and indistinct crazing, fine, clean, firm, and dense clay, pure glaze, and a strong jade-like quality to the glazed surface. Another characteristic of Chenghua imitations of Song official-kiln porcelain was that the glaze color of the outer foot matched that of the body.

There was another matter concerning Ming imitations of Song official-kiln porcelain that Chu Chen could not understand. Imitations of Song Dynasty Ge ware had been produced throughout every period of the Ming Dynasty, yet imitations of official-kiln ware were mainly concentrated in the Chenghua and Jiajing eras. As for why this had happened, it remained a "mystery" awaiting further study.

After introducing the overall characteristics of Ming imitations of official-kiln ware, Chu Chen gave a general introduction to the characteristics of Song official-kiln porcelain. After comparing the two, even Kelly, who had no experience in this field, could distinguish the differences between them.

Finally, Chu Chen took out a high-powered magnifying glass and explained, "The easiest characteristic by which to distinguish Song official-kiln ware is its bubbles. Generally speaking, bubbles can be divided into three types: fine and dense, mist-like, and