Collection Porcelain Jingdezhen How We Work About Contact

Blue Fir · Production Methods

Techniques

Process, Precision, Discipline

← Porcelain

Jingdezhen porcelain is defined by its techniques — the procedural sequences passed through generations of kiln masters. Forming, trimming, glazing, painting, and firing each follow codified methods that vary by period, workshop, and intended result. A technique is not a decorative choice; it is a material commitment with irreversible consequences.

Every surface begins as a sequence of decisions made before the kiln door closes.

Forming

Hand-Thrown

Wheel-thrown forming, the foundational Jingdezhen production method.

Surface & Decoration

Doucai

Underglaze blue outlines filled with overglaze enamels in a second firing. Defined by the precision of registration between the two layers.

Falangcai

Opaque painted enamels adapted from cloisonné, applied to white porcelain in the Qing imperial workshops.

Fencai / Famille Rose

Fencai / Famille Rose

Overglaze enamels softened with an opaque white, allowing shaded, graduated colour. Developed in the Qing dynasty.

Gilding

Gold applied over the fired glaze and fixed in a subsequent firing at a lower temperature.

Qinghua / Blue-and-White

Qinghua / Blue-and-White

Cobalt painted on the porcelain body beneath a transparent glaze. Jingdezhen's dominant decorative tradition from the Yuan dynasty onward.

Sǎlán / Powder Blue

Sǎlán / Powder Blue

A powder-blue surface with a fine, granular character, historically made by blowing powdered cobalt onto the body before glazing.

Silver Rim

A rim finished with a fine line of silver, defining the outline of the vessel.

String-pattern Bands

String-pattern Bands

Fine encircling lines around a vessel, whose name recalls the strings of a musical instrument.

Wucai

Multiple overglaze enamels in flat, bounded colour fields, fixed in a second low firing. Late Ming to early Qing.

Yulihong / Underglaze Red

Yulihong / Underglaze Red

Copper pigment painted beneath the glaze and fired in reduction. One of the most kiln-sensitive colours in Jingdezhen porcelain.

Carved

Relief carving cut into clay body before glazing

Hand-Painted Underglaze

Hand-Painted Underglaze

Brush-applied cobalt or copper decoration beneath glaze, fundamental Jingdezhen technique.

Incised

Line decoration incised into clay body before glazing

Moulded

Pattern pressed into clay using moulds or stamps

Firing

Double-Firing

Primary high-temperature firing followed by lower-temperature overglaze firing.

Gas Kiln

Contemporary gas-fired kiln with atmospheric control

Triple-Firing

Three sequential firings for complex multi-system decoration.

Electric Kiln

Electric kiln system for controlled firing conditions

Reduction Firing

Reduction Firing

Oxygen-reduced kiln atmosphere producing cobalt depth variation. Historical standard for high-quality blue-and-white.

Oxidation Firing

Oxidation Firing

Oxygen-rich kiln atmosphere producing clearer, cooler white tones. Standard in contemporary controlled production.

Wood Kiln Firing

Wood Kiln Firing

Traditional wood-fired kiln producing natural ash variation and atmospheric surface effects. Historical reference.

Continue exploring

Decorative Systems

How these techniques combine into underglaze, overglaze and monochrome surfaces →

Materials

The clay bodies, glazes and pigments these techniques work with →