Chinese Vases
Chinese vases initially served not only for decoration, but also for storage of bulk and liquid substances. Vases were also used as funeral urns and vessels for performance of sacral ceremonies. Only in length of time they lost barely utilitarian functions and became subjects of collector’s desires.
The most ancient of known Chinese vases were made of clay and date back to the third millennium B.C., though the most popular circulating at the modern antiques market were made of porcelain, and their age is usually not more than three hundred years. The Chinese learned in the IV-VI centuries how to make porcelain vases; and since then production volumes steadily increased and quality refined. Unfortunately, very few subjects, created before the XIV century, are left in the whole world. Their value is very high due to amazing quality of things made in this period. Porcelain of epoch of Ming is processed with exceptional art, and each thing is unique. The main value of earlier things appeared in the emphasis of the beauty of unpainted porcelain texture. In distinction from those the vast majority of vases of Ming period were decorated with underglaze cobalt painting. Usually they were patterned with fine, elegant painting of flowers. The graceful balance of quality of ceramics, perfection of burning, shape of thing and design were distinguishing features of these vases. This testified wholeness of Chinese masters, who achieved in their development the heights of genuinely classical art.
Approximately since 1560 quality of porcelain ceramics, glazes and painting gradually starts going downhill. Attempts to discover the secret of manufacturing of porcelain were inspired by its beauty and dearness, and continued in Europe for centuries. Only in 1710 prominent German alchemist Betger managed to resolve the secret of porcelain paste, and the history of the European porcelain had started from then.
The 1800th century was the last period when the development of porcelain trade continued in the country. New shapes of vases were created, and their sizes enlarged. Things of this time conclude the list of items that interest serious collectors of Chinese porcelain.
The demand on original, genuine things is limited, and this is the main problem of the market of Chinese vases. If you really want to acquire precious samples of ancient Chinese vases, you should better do that as soon as possible. Works of art become fewer in number, and their prices grow incessantly.
