Vessels
Liu Jianhua
刘建华
Production date
2009
Object Detail
Media
porcelain
Measurements
3 pieces, dimensions variable
Notes
Vessels (2009) consists of three porcelain bowls of different shapes and sizes. Glazed on the exterior with celadon — the ancient Chinese term for this soft green glaze was ‘a full moon dyed with spring water’ — each appears on first sight to be filled to the brim with a blood-red liquid. On closer inspection, we see their upper surfaces are in fact solid clay slabs, glazed with ox-blood, or ‘sang-de-beouf’ glaze (called ‘lang yao hong’ in Chinese). These handmade and wheel-thrown forms are hollow, and the liquid is an illusion; the celadon glaze was applied before the red glaze was sprayed, after which they were fired, just once, to a temperature of about 1342 degrees centigrade. Lustrous Song Dynasty celadon ware, tinged with palest jade green, greenish-grey or blue-grey, is Liu Jianhua’s favourite of all Chinese porcelain artefacts; the remains of such ancient porcelain bowls and vessels, or their broken shards, abound in the landscape around Jingdezhen. Part of a larger series, Liu’s Vessels are a homage to China’s history of trade in porcelain, but with an ironic nod to mass-production. There is an inescapable reference to ritual sacrifice in these bowls filled, apparently, with blood.
Accession number
2013.220