The Research On The Frog-decorated Porcelain In The Period Of Wei Jin And Southern And Northern Dynasties

The development of porcelain embrace its first fastigium in the Period of Wei Jin and Southern and Northern Dynasties,in which porcelain obtain a rapid development in both technique and craft.And the frog-decorated porcelain are a sort of those representative works.This paper classifies the 76 pieces of frog-decorated porcelain into three types based on their outlines:frog-shaped water jet,frog-shaped water pot,and other frog-shaped implements.Then on the basis of physical characteristics and documentary records,this author finds that both of the frog-shaped water jet and the frog-shaped water pot are stationery accessories which are used for injecting or holding water when scholars are writing.And the frog-shaped jar may be used for holding water or wine in daily life.As for the producing area of these porcelain,most of them were produced by porcelain kilns in the Southern area.The last part of the paper is about the cultural connotation and the origin of the frog-decorated forms.It’s found that frog-decorated forms are often connected with the idea of longevity in Taoism and the symbol of luckiness.And the origin of the frog-decorated forms can trace back to the original frog totem worship and the early Taoist regimen philosophy.This paper gives a deeper and systematic study on the frog-decorated porcelain in the Period of Wei Jin and Southern and Northern Dynasties which includes:sorting,classification,use,the characteristics of times,the cultural connotation and the origin of the frog-shaped form.To some extent,this paper enrich the research of the porcelain.