The Sancai Glazed Vase with Applied Relief and Dragon Handles (Tang Dynasty) is a magnificent example of Tang art, combining form, glaze, and applied decoration.
- Dragon Handles: The vase has two handles shaped like dragons on either side. The dragon, a revered mythical beast in the Tang Dynasty, symbolized power and auspiciousness. Dragon handles suggest the high status of the likely owner.
- Applied Relief (Tiehua ): This is a decorative technique where pre-molded relief patterns (such as floral motifs, dragons, phoenixes, or figures) were applied (“pasted”) onto the leather-hard clay body before glazing and firing. This adds strong three-dimensional decoration to the piece, complementing the flowing glazes and creating a magnificent appearance.
- literally “Tang Three Colors,” is the general term for tri-color glazed pottery of the Tang Dynasty.
- It is a type of low-fired lead-glazed pottery.
- The glaze contains a high amount of lead (Pb), which acts as a flux, significantly lowering the melting temperature of the glaze.
- During firing in the kiln (at around 800°C), various metal oxides added to the glaze dissolve into the molten lead glaze and flow freely.
- Iron (Fe) → Yellow, Brown, Ochre
- Copper (Cu) → Green
- Cobalt (Co) → Blue
- Manganese (Mn) → Purple
- These colors blend and infiltrate each other, creating a unique, mottled, and brilliantly variegated glaze effect. The number of colors is not actually limited to three; it is a polychrome pottery, hence the conventional name “Tang Sancai.”
the Sancai Glazed Vase with Applied Relief and Dragon Handles is a Tang artwork that integrates sculptural art (dragon handles), decorative craftsmanship (applied relief), and technical innovation (lead-fluxed polychrome glazes). It is not merely an object but a cultural testament to that glorious era a thousand years ago.
