BLANC DE CHINE - Dehua White Porcelain

Address: North 1 and North 2 Exhibition Halls, National Museum of China

Time: Open to the public from August 26, 2023

On August 26, 2023, the "BLANC DE CHINE - Dehua White Porcelain Exhibition" was opened to the public at the National Museum of China. The exhibition selected more than 400 pieces of Dehua Blanc de Chine works from ancient to modern times, divided into two units: "One White Dominates" and "Hundred Techniques Compete for Beauty". It not only includes the handed-down masterpieces such as the Guanyin statue with the "He Chaozong" mark and the Guanyin statue with the "Sun Jiangshanren" mark, but also ancient treasures of Dehua kiln such as the Weilin kiln site and the Huaguangjiao No.1 sunken ship. It also showcases the Blanc de Chine masterpieces of contemporary artists, reflecting the exquisite porcelain-making skills and the inheritance and innovation of Dehua porcelain.

From the perspective of "China White" and combined with the artistic characteristics of Blanc de Chine, the exhibition scientifically defines and summarizes the traditional concepts of Dehua kiln such as "pig fat white", "ivory white", and "child red" through chromatographic analysis, and presents corresponding exhibits to let the audience feel the unique charm of "China White".

It is reported that Dehua porcelain sculptures have a wide range of materials, mainly featuring various Daoist and Buddhist figures such as Guanyin, Buddha, Maitreya, Arhat, and Eight Immortals, as well as mythological legends, historical allusions, and folk stories as creative materials. There are also specific themes for export, forming a unique spectrum of utensils. With the development of the times, contemporary Dehua craftsmen inherit and innovate boldly, creating ever-changing Dehua porcelain, expanding the artistic themes of Dehua porcelain, enriching the character images, and diversifying the expression techniques.