The delicate vase is shaped with a small-bore mouth, long straight neck and a sleek bulbous body. The four Chinese characters Sun, Moon, Mountain and River are hand-carved into the upper portion of the vase before it is fired, surrounding with the same four letters in different style carved with the shadow carving technique.
Sun, Moon, Mountain and River are very important nature elements that would represent a country, showing the enormous vigor of the owner, longing for the power and compassion.
Black pottery gets the smooth ebony finish from its special firing process. The fuel is mixed with pigment; and the clay absorbs the color from the smoke during the firing. Traditionally, all the engravings are carved before the firing. Our artisans have invented a new method that engraves designs on the surface after the item is fired. The color gets lighter as the artist etches deeper. So the final coloring has levels of yellow and gray, as well as black.
Black pottery originated during the Neolithic period (12,000 B.C.) in China; and this method was perfected by the Long Shan Culture (3000 B.C.) The earliest works of Black Pottery are water pots and vessels of ancient worship. Then it became the house-hold wares for daily life of the royal families.
