Ba Hua Porcelain: Luxury Art on the Tip of a Needle

In museums, we often see Ba Hua ( 扒花 bā huā ) porcelain with bright colors and elaborate decorations. They have a noble origin and show royal grandeur. Ba Hua porcelain, also known as Famille rose zhadou porcelain, is a fine product of porcelain created for the royal nobles in the Qianlong period. It is famous for its exquisite craftsmanship and unique artistic style.

The Origin and Craftsmanship of Ba Hua Porcelain

Ba Hua porcelain was born in the Qianlong period and is called "adding flowers to the brocade" in ancient books. The production process is extremely complex. First, red, yellow, green and other colored glazes are applied to the porcelain body as the background color (that is, "brocade ground"), and then needle like tools are used to "tie the road" on the "brocade ground" to carve out tiny patterns, such as phoenix tail patterns, swastika patterns, and curly grass patterns.

The "zhadou ( 扎道 zhā dào )" process has extremely high requirements, and it is necessary to pull and draw on the colored ground with extremely fine needle like tools. A little carelessness will ruin all previous efforts. This process not only reflects the peak level of porcelain making in the Qianlong period, but also reflects the strong national power at that time.

The History and Inheritance of Ba Hua Porcelain

Ba Hua porcelain was first created in the "Tang Kiln ( 唐窑 táng yáo )" in the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty, and was supervised by the famous Taoist official Tang Ying. Emperor Qianlong loved ingenious objects and had extremely high requirements for works of art. Ba Hua porcelain was born to cater to his preferences.

The development of Ba Hua porcelain did not happen overnight. It has an inheritance relationship with the early carved decoration. Nowadays, due to the high production cost and complex craftsmanship, Ba Hua porcelain is gradually declining. However, the younger generation in Jingdezhen is working hard to inherit and innovate this traditional craft, injecting new vitality into Ba Hua porcelain.

Innovation and Development of Contemporary Ba Hua Porcelain

Contemporary Ba Hua porcelain has made bold innovations on the basis of traditional craftsmanship:

• Mixed color Ba Hua: Spray two or more color materials on the body to form a natural color transition.
• Pattern innovation: Combine geometric patterns and abstract patterns to design a modern color ground.
• Process integration: Abandon the Famille rose decoration and combine the traditional Linglong craftsmanship of Jingdezhen to create a more transparent effect.

These innovations not only retain the traditional charm of Ba Hua porcelain, but also make it more in line with the aesthetic needs of modern people.

The Value and Significance of Ba Hua Porcelain

Ba Hua porcelain is not only a beautiful work of art, but also a treasure of traditional Chinese culture. It carries rich historical information and cultural connotations and is worthy of our inheritance and development.