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How did Zhou dynasty glazes differ from Han dynasty glazes?
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Chinese pottery
Painted Pottery funerary urn, Neolithic Banshan phase, c. 3000 bce, from Yangshao, Henan province, China; in the Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities, Stockholm. Height 13.2 inches (33.5 cm).
During the Zhou dynasty, the development of glazing was in its early stages. Potters produced stoneware vessels with glazes that were often thin, sometimes appearing as little more than a deliberate "smear" ranging from gray to brownish-green. Some of these early glazes may have originated from the application of glass paste to the vessel surface.12
In contrast, Han dynasty glazes were more glasslike and of higher quality. Han pottery featured two primary glazing types:2
- Lead Glazes: Developed in northern China, these low-fired glazes were frequently tinted green using copper oxide. Due to long burial, these glazes often developed an attractive silvery iridescence.32
- Feldspathic/Olive Glazes: In the lower Yangtze valley, potters continued to refine high-fired stoneware. These wares featured thin olive or brownish-green glazes, which were the precursors to later celadon glazes. These colors were achieved by applying a slip containing a high proportion of iron to the vessel body before firing.312