This "lotus leaf" is not actually a plant!

Speaking of "ceramics", there is no doubt that everyone will think of Jingdezhen, the "ceramic capital", but what about "Song Dynasty porcelain"? Perhaps some descriptors such as "classical" and "elegant" will come to mind, but it may not be associated with a small Sichuan city - Suining. However, in this city, there is a place that protects many "beauties" that have been elegant for hundreds of years - the Sichuan Song Dynasty Porcelain Museum, which is also the only thematic Song Dynasty porcelain museum in my country (Figure 1). This museum has 31 national first-class cultural relics and 342 second-class cultural relics. The collection of Southern Song Dynasty porcelain unearthed from an archaeological site in Suining alone has reached 985 pieces (sets), which is still the largest collection of Song Dynasty porcelain cellars found in China. Its treasure - the Southern Song Dynasty green glaze lotus leaf-shaped lidded jar, is known as the three national treasures of Chinese porcelain together with the Yuan Dynasty blue and white Guiguzi going down the mountain and the Ming Wanli multicolored dragon and phoenix plate.

Figure 1. Sichuan Song Dynasty Porcelain Museum Image source: Reference 1

This porcelain is 31.3cm high and 93cm in girth, making it the largest piece of cultural relics in the cellar. Its glaze is soft and elegant, clean and lustrous, as green as jade and as warm as spring water, perfectly interpreting the aesthetics of the Song Dynasty. Its large size, beautiful glaze, and well-preserved state are extremely rare in China and even in the world (Figure 2).

Figure 2. Southern Song Dynasty green-glazed lotus leaf-shaped lidded jar Image source: Reference 2

What is so special about this "lotus leaf" that makes people shocked? Some archaeologists commented that, first of all, the blue-and-white porcelain of the Song Dynasty has a strong imprint of the times. It is a unique porcelain popular in the Song Dynasty, which is difficult to replicate in other dynasties or even in the present. Because the porcelain clay needed to fire this kind of porcelain is very special, by the late Song Dynasty, this kind of porcelain clay resources were exhausted due to continuous mining. Without resources, it can no longer be fired. Secondly, the shape of this Southern Song "lotus leaf" is peculiar and the production process is complicated. Previously, only such porcelains in the Yuan Dynasty were found. Some experts believe that it is impossible to make it in the Song Dynasty because this green-glazed lotus leaf-shaped lidded jar is too large, with a diameter of nearly 1 meter. The initial wheel throwing is almost impossible to achieve, because if the clay is unevenly stressed, it will collapse directly. But the actual situation is that the craftsmen of the Song Dynasty actually made it. Such a miracle really amazed the experts (Figure 3).

Figure 3. The “lotus leaf” of porcelain is lifelike. Image source: Reference 2

Therefore, this Southern Song Dynasty lotus leaf-shaped lidded jar is a unique piece in the world, and it bears witness to the superb skills of the skilled craftsmen of the Song Dynasty. They mastered some laws related to "physical mechanics" and passed them down from master to apprentice from generation to generation.

Experts analyzed that this lotus leaf-shaped jar was produced in Longquan Kiln, Zhejiang. The color of this Southern Song Dynasty lotus leaf-shaped jar is plum green. It must be fired with a strong reducing flame at high temperature to be successful. It has very high requirements for the craftsmanship, firing temperature, and glaze quality. The color fired in this way is bright and green, just like the color of green plums, so it is called plum green. The glaze layer is thick but transparent, and the color is basically comparable to jade. It is an outstanding green glaze variety in the history of Longquan Kiln creation.

Interestingly, when this "lotus leaf" jar was unearthed, there were many celadon small plates neatly placed inside the jar. A careful count revealed that there were exactly ninety-nine pieces, not more, not less. Experts believe that nine has a long-lasting meaning in traditional Chinese culture, and the owner placed ninety-nine small plates in the jar, implying "nine nines return to one", which may imply peace and prosperity for the country. So why were so many Southern Song porcelains that were not produced in Sichuan unearthed in Suining, Sichuan? (Figure 4)

Figure 4. A Southern Song Dynasty Longquan kiln green-glazed porcelain vase with large handles, collected by the Sichuan Song Dynasty Porcelain Museum

Image source: Reference 1

Suining, Sichuan, was rich in products and prosperous in business during the Southern Song Dynasty. It had frequent trade with Jiangxi and Zhejiang. However, this prosperity was interrupted by the Song-Mongol War in the late Southern Song Dynasty. The war lasted from 1235 to 1278. During this period, in order to prevent the precious, fragile and difficult-to-carry porcelain from being looted and destroyed, Suining merchants had to protect it by burying it in cellars. It was not until more than 700 years later that these porcelains saw the light of day again.

References:

Official website of Sichuan Song Dynasty Porcelain Museum, https://www.scscbwg.cn/Collection

This is a unique piece, the only surviving jar from that era, and there is only one of its kind in the world. https://baijiahao.baidu.com/s?id=1681895472125698199&wfr=spider&for=pc

He Yingzhong. A brief exploration of Song Dynasty porcelain from Suining cellar[J]. Sichuan Cultural Relics, 2003, (01): 51-52.

Nie Zhaozhu. Suining Song Dynasty Porcelain and the Monetary Economy in the Troubled Southern Song Dynasty[J]. Southwest Finance, 2009, (09): 63-64.

Zhang Shiyuan. A brief study on Song Dynasty porcelain from Jinyu Village, Sichuan[J]. Cultural Relics Appraisal and Appreciation, 2017, (07): 26-27.