Copper Red

Copper is the colouring element behind several of Jingdezhen’s most technically demanding reds.

It can be used in different ceramic systems. In underglaze red, copper-bearing pigment is painted beneath a transparent glaze. In copper-red monochrome glazes, copper is part of the glaze system itself.

These should not be confused. They share copper as the colour-producing element, but the way it is applied and the resulting surface are fundamentally different.

Both are highly sensitive to firing conditions, which is why successful high-fired copper red has held such technical prestige in Jingdezhen.