''An hua'' () is a term used in

Chinese ceramics Chinese ceramics show a continuous development since Chinese Neolithic, pre-dynastic times and are one of the most significant forms of Chinese art and ceramics globally. The first pottery was made during the List of Palaeolithic sites in China, ...

meaning ''secret'' or ''veiled'' decoration; the designs being visible through transmitted

light Light or visible light is electromagnetic radiation that can be perceived by the human eye. Visible light is usually defined as having wavelengths in the range of 400–700 nanometres (nm), corresponding to frequencies of 750–420 t ...

, produced either by incising the

design A design is a plan or specification for the construction of an object or system or for the implementation of an activity or process or the result of that plan or specification in the form of a prototype, product, or process. The verb ''to design' ...

into the

porcelain Porcelain () is a ceramic material made by heating substances, generally including materials such as kaolinite, in a kiln to temperatures between . The strength and translucence of porcelain, relative to other types of pottery, arises main ...

before glazing and firing or by delicate

slip-trailing Slipware is pottery identified by its primary decorating process where slip is placed onto the leather-hard (semi-hardened) clay body surface before firing by dipping, painting or splashing. Slip is an aqueous suspension of a clay body, whic ...

in white slip on the

body. It is also called "secret" or "hidden decoration". Incised, carved or mould-impressed monochrome decoration under a

ceramic glaze Ceramic glaze is an impervious layer or coating of a vitreous substance which has been fused to a pottery body through firing. Glaze can serve to color, decorate or waterproof an item. Glazing renders earthenware vessels suitable for holding ...

was the dominant type of decoration during the

Song dynasty The Song dynasty (; ; 960–1279) was an imperial dynasty of China that began in 960 and lasted until 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song following his usurpation of the throne of the Later Zhou. The Song conquered the res ...

, in types of white wares such as Ding ware and Qingbai. But the term is mainly used of the still more discreet version of the technique popularized under the

Yongle Emperor The Yongle Emperor (; pronounced ; 2 May 1360 – 12 August 1424), personal name Zhu Di (), was the third Emperor of the Ming dynasty, reigning from 1402 to 1424. Zhu Di was the fourth son of the Hongwu Emperor, the founder of the Ming dyn ...

(1360-1424) of the

Ming dynasty The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last ort ...

(1368-1644), and continued later, particularly during the reign of the

Yongzheng Emperor The Yongzheng Emperor (13 December 1678 – 8 October 1735), also known by his temple name Emperor Shizong of Qing, born Yinzhen, was the fourth Emperor of the Qing dynasty, and the third Qing emperor to rule over China proper. He reigned from ...

(1723-1735) in the

Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speak ...

. Very often dragons were concealed in the interior of bowls. Some ''an hua'' dishes were found inside a storage jar in the mid-15th century (1450-1487?) ''Belankan'' shipwreck off the coast of Indonesia, found circa 1999. Of a teapot in the

Victoria and Albert Museum The Victoria and Albert Museum (often abbreviated as the V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.27 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and nam ...

(see gallery), the museum says: "One side is very subtly incised with a design of rocks and plants, and the other with a poetic couplet that reads: "At night in springtime one moment is precious like a thousand pieces of gold, the orchid sends forth its fragrance in the shade of the moon." These are the first two lines from a poem by the famous eleventh-century writer

Su Shi Su Shi (; 8 January 1037 – 24 August 1101), courtesy name Zizhan (), art name Dongpo (), was a Chinese calligrapher, essayist, gastronomer, pharmacologist, poet, politician, and travel writer during the Song dynasty. A major personality of ...

". This suggests it was made for a scholarly gentleman. Early pieces with floral decoration can be seen as a compromise between the traditionalist elite preference for plain monochrome porcelains and the growing taste for ornament, initially seen only in "popular wares" such as

Cizhou ware Cizhou ware or Tz'u-chou ware () is a term for a wide range of Chinese ceramics from between the late Tang dynasty and the early Ming dynasty, but especially associated with the Northern Song to Yuan period in the 11–14th century. It has been ...

, before being adopted by the elite during the

Yuan dynasty The Yuan dynasty (), officially the Great Yuan (; xng, , , literally "Great Yuan State"), was a Mongol-led imperial dynasty of China and a successor state to the Mongol Empire after its division. It was established by Kublai, the fif ...

. File:Ewer-G 5088-IMG 9100-white.jpg, Ewer, Ming, Yongle reign, 1403-1424 File:Dish with secret decoration. Qing, Kangxi brand. Guimet Museum, G 816. Detail.jpg, Detail of Kangxi reign dish File:Dish with secret decoration. Qing, Kangxi brand. Guimet Museum, G 816.jpg, The whole dish File:BLW White Teapot.jpg,

Dehua porcelain Dehua porcelain (), more traditionally known in the West as Blanc de Chine (French for "White from China"), is a type of white Chinese porcelain, made at Dehua in the Fujian province. It has been produced from the Ming dynasty (1368–1644) to ...

wine/teapot, 1690-1720,

. See text; this is the side with the couplet. File:Plate (AM 11388-5).jpg, 18th-century plate File:Plate (AM 1940.144-1).jpg, The whole plate shown above

References

External links

A Handbook of Chinese Ceramics
from The Metropolitan Museum of Art {{Chinese ceramics Chinese porcelain Chinese pottery Chinese words and phrases Types of pottery decoration