Ware of Yixing, Ou, and Guang

     Ever since the sixteenth century, the porcelain produced in Yixing County has included not only the purple-granule ware, but also the productions believed to be manufactured by potter Ou. According to historical documents, the Ou ware was composed of two artwork types; one was copying the style of Jun ware, and the other was having cracklings similar to Ge ware. These artworks were labelled as "Yixing type glaze" without exception in the Qing court archives. At the mean time, interpretations regarding the Ou ware also circulated in folk culture. Part of the works classified as Yixing ware are now corrected as Guang ware according to the supportive evidences which were unearthed during the latest archaeological findings. The Guang ware is defined as the pottery produced around the Shiwan area in Guangdong and the glaze demonstrates the milky texture, which is particularly similar to Yixing ware that copied the Jun style. The selected exhibits all came from the Qing court collection. The curatorial intention is to deliver the taste and feature of common civilians in contrast with the royal ware, and to reconsider the confusions between the Yixing ware and Guang ware.