Height:12"

Craft:Chinese traditional handicraft with thousands of years history

Origin:Luoyang

Tang San Cai, also called Tricolor Glazed Pottery and a gem of ancient Chinese art, is a kind of handmade glazed ware of exquisite craftsmanship created in the Northern and Southern Dynasty (386-589) about 1,400 years ago. During the Tang Dynasty (618-907), the production of Tang San Cai reached its peak, which is part of the reason the pottery got the name of Tang San Cai.

Luoyang, named the eastern capital in ancient times, in Henan Province was the home of Tang San Cai, and most of unearthed Tang San Cai was found in Luoyang.

Tang San Cai is a polychrome handicraft with yellow, green, and white as its major tones. It is fired with lead glaze and presents a harmonious complex of varied colors, deep and light. The process is complicated: first, bake the ready mode in kilns until the temperature reaches 1,100oC, then take it out and apply glaze on it; bake it again in kilns at a temperature of about 900¡ãC.

Tang San Cai items that have been unearthed include horses, humans, and even pillows, and camels, of which the pottery camel is one of the best. Its head rises high, as if telling stories about merchant caravans along the Silk Road in the remote past and the prosperity of the Tang Dynasty.

Being the gem of ancient Chinese art, Tang San Cai absorbed the advantages of Chinese painting, sculpture and stone carving. It features fleshy figures, regular and exquisite technics, compact carving traces, and smooth lines, indicating the high-level of the craft reached in the Tang Dynasty. Tang San Cai is primaryly divided into pottery tomb-figures and daily commodities.

After the founding of new China, specialized institutions have been set up to study the technics of making Tang San Cai, which has boosted the development of the craft.

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Rich Artistic Connotation & Historical Background:

This artwork is a pair of Tang tri-colour dragon and phoenix water bottles in Chinese classical style, which showcases the exquisite craftsmanship and rich connotations of ancient Chinese ceramic art.

Tang tri-colour is a unique pottery making technique that originated in the Tang Dynasty (618-907) and reached its peak in the Song Dynasty (960-1279).

This technique is known for its bright glaze colors and intricate patterns, and is often used to create exquisite porcelain, jade, and bronze artifacts.

The pair of Tang tri-colour dragon and phoenix water bottles adopts the traditional Tang tri-colour technique, vividly depicting the images of the dragon and phoenix, two auspicious animals.

The dragon is one of the symbols of traditional Chinese culture, representing authority, nobility, and strength; while the phoenix symbolizes beauty, harmony, and happiness.

The pair of water bottles implies good luck, fortune, longevity, and happiness, which are popular themes among ancient scholars and artists.

From an artistic perspective, this pair of Tang tri-colour dragon and phoenix water bottles has high collection value.

Its production process is exquisite, with colorful glazes and intricate patterns, showcasing the unique charm of ancient Chinese ceramic art.

At the same time, it also has certain historical significance, reflecting the living customs and aesthetic concepts of ancient society.

From a cultural perspective, this pair of Tang tri-colour dragon and phoenix water bottles carries rich historical and cultural connotations.

It is a treasure of ancient Chinese ceramic art, witnessing the development process of Chinese civilization for five thousand years.

By appreciating and studying this pair of water bottles, we can better understand the development context and unique style of ancient Chinese ceramic art.

In conclusion, this pair of Tang tri-colour dragon and phoenix water bottles is an artwork with high artistic value and historical significance.

It not only demonstrates the exquisite skills of ancient Chinese ceramic art but also implies good luck, fortune, longevity, and happiness.

It is a cultural heritage worth collecting and inheriting.