Chinese Ceramic Pillow History

Chinese ceramics show a continuous development since pre dynastic times and are one of the most significant forms of chinese art and ceramics globally.

Chinese ceramic pillow history.

Coming into being with the development of porcelain making crafts the porcelain pillow first appeared in the sui dynasty 581 618 flourished in the tang dynasty 618 907 and reached its heyday in the song dynasty 960 1279. Ceramic pillows became the most popular. Seemingly straightforward in function this type of object has been easily overlooked by art and design historians. Japanese and chinese porcelain marks chinese pottery and porcelain chinese imari export porcelain chinese porcelain chinese famille rose famille verte and rose medallion porcelain and an active collector forum.

The use of the ceramic pillow first appeared in the sui dynasty between 581 and 618 while mass production appeared in the tang. Expert help and more than 2 500 pages with free information for collectors of antique chinese and japanese porcelain. Chinese pillows were traditionally solid though sometimes used with a softer fabric over them. Chinese ceramics range from construction materials such as bricks and tiles to hand built pottery vessels fired in bonfires or kilns to the sophisticated chinese porcelain wares made for.

Over many chinese dynasties pillows were made from a wide range of materials including bamboo jade porcelain wood and bronze. In ancient china however ceramic pillows were commonly used as burial wares although archaeological discoveries and literary evidence suggest they were endowed with multiple functions. While ceramic pillows were widely used in the song dynasty from the qing dynasty 1644 ad 1911ad they were used less. In the summer my wife and i use bamboo pillows which are really nice because they let in the breeze.

The first pottery was made during the palaeolithic era. They believed that the materials of which the pillow was made could have health benefits for the person using it. Chinese ceramic pillows are certainly very different in form to their western equivalents. This essay analyses the social value and multiple functions of ceramic pillows in ming dynasty china in relation to a pillow in the v a collections.

This painting is from the qing dynasty and depicts an old chinese man holding a soft pillow ready to drift off to a pleasant and dreamy sleep. Although breakable the hard material used to make them would last forever and the cool touch of porcelain would ve been refreshing in the hot muggy climates of southeast asia where many of these pillows ended up. Among all ancient chinese pillows the porcelain pillow was the most widely used. Email ask a question service.

Porcelain pillows were mass produced in china in their millions in the 1800s and exported to expat asian communities all over the world. Requiring extreme skill to produce the ceramic pillows from the tang 618 907 ad and song 960 1279 ad dynasties in particular are highly prized for.