Dayazhai-made Song Dynasty-style Hutian Kiln Shadow Blue Glazed Rain-After-Rain Sky Blue Conical Hat Cup/Jianshui/Rolled Mouth Cup

After the rain, the sky cleared in the Song Dynasty

This celadon-glazed bamboo hat-shaped tea bowl from the Hutian kiln is crystal clear and lustrous. Where the glaze has accumulated, it appears bluish-green. High-temperature firing produced bubbles, resulting in a pure, clear surface rich in tonal variations. It feels smooth and firm to the touch, and produces a clear, melodious sound when tapped.
Hutian Kiln was a famous kiln site from the Five Dynasties to the Ming Dynasty. It was the largest ancient kiln site in China during the Song and Yuan Dynasties, with the longest continuous firing period and the most exquisite porcelain produced.
The Hutian Kiln Site is located in Hutian Village, southeast of Jingdezhen City, and a few inheritors still use the ancient firing methods. Like a treasure lost to the sky, it is sealed in the memory of history. The glaze of Hutian Kiln is known as "sky blue after rain," and it is the porcelain that literati dream of, as well as the sentiment of literati for thousands of years.

After the rain, the sky clears and the clouds part; celadon porcelain is an elegant microcosm of the Song Dynasty. Hutian Kiln perfectly embodies this literati spirit and noble air.

After the rain, the sky cleared in the Song Dynasty

—The earliest form of aristocratic minimalism

Song Dynasty porcelain was made with monochrome glazes. The requirement was simplicity: round, square, plain color, and simple texture. Nowadays, minimalism is often associated with a cold and indifferent aesthetic, but the minimalism of the Song Dynasty was the minimalism of the aristocracy.

The simpler, the harder

The Song Dynasty represented a peak of civilization. The image of a clear blue sky after rain is a timeless masterpiece! Prehistoric artifacts "returned to simplicity," Shang and Zhou artifacts possess a reverential "sacredness," while Song artifacts are "noble yet simple." The Song Dynasty's "clear blue sky after rain" is so plain, so understated, without a trace of ostentation or harshness, yet so beautiful, so elegant. Like timeless masterpieces, it is often composed of just a few simple, common characters. To achieve this is difficult!

The simpler, the more elegant.

To this day, Song Dynasty porcelain remains a global benchmark for aesthetics. The crackle pattern, originally a defect during firing, was perceived by the Song people as possessing a kind of weathered beauty. Over time, this is called "crazing," and what was initially a flaw or damage has become beautiful – a very unique aspect of Song Dynasty aesthetics.

While embellishment, hierarchy, and a sense of ritual were fundamental characteristics of Song Dynasty artifacts, the lines of practical vessels themselves were highly refined. All the highly generalized forms ultimately found a sense of simplicity, lacking the extravagance and flamboyance of the Tang Dynasty, and the embellishment and complexity of the Qing Dynasty. The Song Dynasty's "sky-blue after rain" glaze, a monochrome glaze made entirely of minerals, exhibited extreme restraint in color, neither too warm nor too cold. Within this monochrome glaze, varying shades and tones created countless variations! This became the aesthetic benchmark for Chinese literati for a thousand years, a thousand-year-old literati sentiment.

The more you let go, the more beautiful it becomes.

The sky after rain is clear and blue, a beauty that has never faded with time. This elegant blue glaze, reminiscent of the sky after rain, was unique before the Song Dynasty. The "straw hat" cup boasts exquisitely elegant lines, a graceful "tall foot," and a restrained yet powerful display of "thin body and thick glaze." The decoration and form are meticulously crafted, and the saucer, several times the size of the cup, accentuates the cup, showcasing a layered beauty and a harmonious interplay of primary and secondary elements, creating a strong sense of ceremony.

Thin-walled porcelain sacrifices sturdiness; conical hats and high feet sacrifice stability; half-carved clay sacrifices speed; celadon glaze sacrifices yield. It is precisely these sacrifices that create the beauty of the sky, enduring through the ages! They create the innate nobility and minimalism of the Song Dynasty!