Longquan Celadon · Wood-Fired Kiln-Change Secret-Color · Dragon & Phoenix Master Cups · Handcrafted by Zhang Xi
£368.00
Material: Ceramic (Celadon) | Colour: Secret-color (antique-style secret glaze)
Craft: Longquan Celadon Di kiln wood-firing technique, fired at 1300°C in a traditional dragon kiln. Warm, antique glaze with a subtle, uniform secret-color tone — kiln-change effects born of fire.
Place of Origin: Zhejiang, China
Handcrafted by Zhang Xi (Master of Arts and Crafts, China; Senior Master of Arts and Crafts; National Intangible Cultural Heritage Inheritor of Longquan Celadon Traditional Firing Techniques; Fifth-generation inheritor of the Zhang family ceramic craft)
Handcrafted. One of a kind. Signed collector’s certificate included.
This pair of cups comes from Longquan, where the craft has been passed down for a thousand years. It is made by Zhang Xi, a master whose hands carry the weight of tradition — and the legacy of over two hundred years of Zhang family ceramic mastery. Zhang Xi is renowned for his skill in hand-throwing and carving, and for his dedication to traditional wood-firing — he is the leading figure of the Longquan celadon traditional dragon-kiln firing research association.
The glaze is a remarkable antique-style secret-color glaze — a signature formula developed by Zhang Xi. Fired at 1300°C in a traditional dragon kiln, it undergoes a subtle kiln-change — the secret-color glaze is never one tone. It shifts between grey and green, like ancient jade — subtle, restrained, and quietly refined. The surface carries a rich, oily lustre that speaks of antiquity.
Longquan celadon reached its peak during the Southern Song Dynasty, celebrated for its jade-like glaze — “the pinnacle of celadon beauty”. Zhang Xi’s secret-color glaze is a tribute to this tradition. As Zhang Xi himself puts it: “The beauty of wood-firing lies in this — you never know what will emerge until the kiln opens.”
Each piece is unique. In the dragon-kiln wood-fire, every piece catches the flame differently. The same form, the same glaze — yet each emerges with its own character, its own kiln-change texture. This is the signature of the fire — a dialogue between flame and clay, the mark of pieces that exist only once.