Why did Han dynasty potters use copper oxide in lead glazes?

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Neolithic Banshan pottery: funerary urn — 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 Han dynasty (206 bce–220 ce), potters in northern China invented a low-fired lead glaze that was tinted with copper oxide to produce a distinctive bottle-green color.12

This glaze was primarily developed for funerary purposes, as these vessels were frequently placed in graves. Over time, these lead-glazed wares often developed an attractive silvery iridescence as a result of long-term burial. While these glazes were valued for their aesthetic qualities in a mortuary context, they represent a significant development in the history of Chinese ceramic technology, moving toward more glasslike, high-quality finishes compared to earlier periods.12