Guangcai ceramics take center stage at exhibition

An exhibition featuring a total 500 sets of Guangcai ceramic wares was launched in Guangzhou on Sept 5, running until Sept 27.

Guangcai ceramics are ceramic wares crafted and made popular in Guangzhou, featuring delicate patterns and bright colors. The ceramic wares were originally made in early Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).

A pair of vases decorated with beautiful landscapes and figure patterns, made in Qianlong Period, are on display at the exhibition. [Photo/gzdaily.dayoo.com]

Held at the Lingnan Exhibition Museum in Ersha Island, the exhibition showcases ceramics made from the Qing Dynasty to 1949.

Many of the exhibits were exported to Europe immediately after they were created and it is only until recently that they have been brought back by Chinese collectors.

On the second floor of the museum, a wide range of early Guangcai ceramics made from the Yongzheng Period (1723-1735) to the middle of Qianlong Period (1735-1796) in the Qing Dynasty are on display. Exported Guangcai ceramics from the late Qianlong Period and ceramics made from the period of the Republic of China to 1949 are being displayed on the third and the fourth floor of the museum respectively. Visitors can also admire works created by Guangcai masters in recent years on the fifth floor.

China enjoys an excellent reputation for making ceramic wares and Guangzhou, with its key role on the ancient Maritime Silk Road, has long been well-known for Guangcai ceramics.

In the late 17th century, Louis XIV of France sent his men to Guangdong to customize Guangcai ceramics with delicate amour patterns. Later on after the Renaissance, the colorful Guangcai ceramics gained further popularity in Europe, with annual exported sets reaching nearly 10 million. 

A vase created by famous Guangcai master Zhang Zhaotang is on show at the exhibition. [Photo/gzdaily.dayoo.com]

A decorative plate depicting early spring by Guangcai master Ou Liqin is on display at the exhibition. [Photo/gzdaily.dayoo.com]