Ding ware: The quiet elegance of Song white porcelain

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Ding ware: The quiet elegance of Song white porcelain

Before blue-and-white porcelain became a global icon, Chinese kilns had already mastered another kind of beauty: white porcelain.

One of its finest expressions was Ding ware, a celebrated kiln tradition that became known as one of the Five Great Kilns of the Song Dynasty. Its main production center was in today's Hebei Province.

Its elegance came from discipline. The clay was carefully washed and refined until it became fine, white and smooth. Because the porcelain body itself was so clean and pale, Ding vessels often needed no white slip. Their walls were evenly shaped, and their surfaces were trimmed with great precision.

Most Ding wares were everyday objects: bowls, dishes, bottles, jars and porcelain pillows. Yet in Song hands, even daily utensils could become art: quiet, restrained and glowing with inner grace.

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