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This listing is for a beautiful celadon dragon okimono made around 25 years ago by Chinese master artist, Liu Yuanchang.  It was made from a slip mould and coated in soft green celadon glaze.  This is Liu’s millennium dragon made to commemorate the Year of the Dragon in 2000.  The millennium dragon came in three colours – white, celadon and black-gold.  The bottom is stamped with three seals, and the number 5 is an employee number (Liu has workers at the Sculpture Porcelain Factory complex who assist with pouring moulds, glazes etc). 

Liu Yuanchang (b.1939) is a Chinese master potter who specialises in ceramic sculpture.  His studio is located in Jingdezhen (Jiangxi Province) and he graduated from the Jingdezhen Ceramic Institute in 1963.  He mainly produces figurative pieces which explore religion and nature.  His porcelain sculptures have won numerous provincial and national awards, and he served as the director of the Art Research Institute, and he’s the director of the Sculpture Porcelain Factory complex.   He is a senior member of the China Arts and Crafts Association, and he was designated as one of the Eight Great Masters. The title of Great Master is the highest honour achievable in China.  His work has been exhibited in Hong Kong, Singapore, Italy, the United Kingdom, Indonesia and Malaysia, and they’re highly praised within China. Various sculptures were purchased by the China National Museum of Arts and Crafts, the China History Museum, the Jingdezhen China Ceramic Museum, and the Zhongnanhai compound that serves as a residence for the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party and the State Council.  His sculptures have also been selected by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and given to visiting dignitaries as national gifts.  During his university years, Liu Yuanchang benefited from the guidance of ceramic artist Cai Jintai and was quite interested in traditional porcelain sculptures. He believes that many techniques of Jingdezhen's traditional porcelain sculptures need to be taught in combination with the basic theories of art in the higher education system, this he believes will preserve exquisite techniques and traditional heritage.  Much of his work focuses on extracting themes from life, and the forms of expression integrate sculpture, carving, pinching and engraving. His works are rigorously conceived, with refined composition and diverse forms. Liu Yuanchang has drawn inspiration from the Yungang Grottoes and Jinci Clay Sculptures in Yanbei, the Longmen Grottoes and the Holy Land of Tang Sancai in the Central Plains; the stone carvings in front of Huo Qubing's tomb in the northwest and the Terracotta Warriors of Qin; the wood carvings and clay sculptures in the temples and Buddhist temples in Jiangnan.  He carefully studied them, combined them with the materials of porcelain sculptures, and created his own unique porcelain sculpture language. In 1983, Liu Yuanchang presided over the design and production project of the large-scale group sculpture ‘108 Heroes of the Water Margin’, and independently created five Liangshan heroes including Li Kui, Li Chao, and Xiao Ba Wang. This group of porcelain sculptures has a great influence and has become a feat in the history of Chinese porcelain sculptures. The Zibo China Ceramics Museum has a collection consisting of one set.  **Fellow sellers, this information was researched by Kominka Zakka and CANNOT be used in your own listings.  Master Liu’s sculptures command very high prices at auctions, more of his work can be seen here:  https://www.artnet.com/artists/liu-yuanchang/     

Celadon refers to a type of glaze as well as a specific type of ware, both are characterized by a very pale green, powder blue, or grey-blue colour. The colour largely depends on the presence of iron in the clay and of iron oxide, manganese oxide, and quartz particles in the glaze. Firing conditions in the kiln also play a big role in determining colour.

Size

H.13.7cm (5.3”) x L.33.3cm (13.1”) x W.7.3cm (2.8”)

Condition

It’s in very good condition aside from some marks on the bottom.

THESE ARE SHIPPING ESTIMATES BASED ON THE CURRENT GLOBAL SITUATION 

**Germany, France, Greece, Spain, Poland, Austria, Slovakia, Lithuania, Slovenia:  NO SHIPPING.  Very strict and expensive packaging laws in place and we are not licensed to send products to these countries.  We have no plan to register at this time because the process is in some cases very expensive and complicated, plus each country has its own set of regulations and application process. 

**USA, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Switzerland, Norway:  EMS Express 7-10 days.

**Asia:  EMS Express 3-5 days.

**Central Asia, Middle East, South Africa, Brazil, Mexico:  EMS Express 10-15 days.

**Russia:  No shipping methods available.