Celadon is a soft green ceramic glaze, and it's also the name of the pale gray-green color that glaze made famous. It has been made for well over a thousand years, first in China and later in Korea, Japan and Thailand, and it's still made today. Here's what celadon is, why it comes in so many shades and what to look for when you find a piece.
What celadon is
Celadon is a translucent glaze that ranges from gray-green to blue-green to olive, usually over stoneware or porcelain. The word covers both the glaze and the pieces that wear it. Because the glaze is see-through, it runs thin and pale over raised edges and pools darker in carved lines and hollows. That soft shading is the easiest way to recognize it.
In China these wares are called qingci, which means green ware. The word qing covers both green and blue. Potters and collectors prized the glaze because it looked like jade.
Where the name comes from
Celadon is a European name, and nobody is certain where it started. The story told most often is that it comes from Céladon, a shepherd in the French romance L'Astrée, published in the early 1600s, who wore pale green ribbons. When green-glazed Chinese wares became fashionable in France, people borrowed his name for the color. Another story ties the word to the sultan Saladin, who is said to have sent pieces as a gift in the 1100s.
A short history
- China: Green-glazed stoneware was made for centuries before it reached its peak during the Song dynasty (960 to 1279). The kilns at Longquan in the south made thick, smooth blue-green glazes, while northern kilns such as Yaozhou made olive green wares with carved designs.
- Korea: During the Goryeo dynasty (918 to 1392), Korean potters made some of the most admired celadon in the world. They are famous for inlay work, with designs like cranes and clouds cut into the clay and filled with white and black slip under the glaze.
- Japan: Celadon is called seiji in Japan, where porcelain kilns have made it since the 1600s.
- Thailand: The Sawankhalok kilns exported celadon across Southeast Asia from about the 1300s to the 1500s. The craft was revived around Chiang Mai in the twentieth century, and Thai celadon is some of the most common you'll find today.
Why celadon comes in so many colors
The green comes from a small amount of iron in the glaze, and what happens in the kiln decides the final color. When the kiln is starved of oxygen during firing, which potters call a reduction firing, the iron turns the glaze green to blue-green. If more oxygen gets in, the same glaze leans yellow, olive or brown. The amount of iron, the thickness of the glaze and the color of the clay underneath all shift the shade too.
That's why no two batches match exactly. These are the main shades you'll see:
- Pale gray-green: the soft, misty green most people picture, and the shade paint and fabric makers mean when they say celadon.
- Blue-green: a cool sea green. The finest bluish Longquan glaze is known by the Japanese name kinuta.
- Olive green: a deeper, yellower green typical of northern Chinese wares.
- Gray-blue green: the quiet, slightly gray tone of classic Korean celadon, often called kingfisher color.
- Glossy jade green: the bright, glassy green common on twentieth-century Thai pieces.
What about the crackle?
Many celadon pieces have a fine web of lines in the glaze, called crackle or crazing. It forms when the glaze shrinks more than the clay as the piece cools. Potters often did it on purpose, and on some wares the crackle is the main decoration. It is part of the glaze, not damage.
A true crack is different. It runs through the clay itself, so you can usually see it on both the inside and the outside and catch it with a fingernail. A piece with a crack also sounds dull when you tap it gently, where a sound piece rings.
Is every green piece celadon?
No, and it helps to know how the word gets used. Strictly, celadon means the iron glaze described above. In the vintage world, celadon is also used as a color word for any soft green ceramic, including twentieth-century pottery and porcelain made in that shade. Both uses are common, so read the description and look closely at the glaze.
Celadon has been made continuously for more than a thousand years and is still in production. Most pieces you'll come across are twentieth century, and telling an antique from a later piece often takes a specialist.
What to look for when you buy
- Look for the shading. Celadon glaze is lighter on raised edges and darker where it pools.
- Turn it over. The foot is often unglazed, which shows you the clay, and Thai pieces are frequently marked on the base.
- Run a fingertip around the rim and foot to check for chips.
- Tell crackle from cracks using the checks above.
- Look inside. Crackle glaze can pick up stains from tea, coffee or oils, which show as darker lines.
Caring for celadon
Wash by hand in warm, soapy water and dry with a soft cloth. Skip the dishwasher and the microwave. Don't soak crackle glaze pieces or leave dark liquids sitting in them, because the fine lines can absorb color over time. If you use one as a vase, a small glass or liner inside keeps the water off the glaze.
Celadon in the shop
We currently have a miniature celadon green pitcher with a crackle glaze. You can also browse our vintage home decor for more one-of-a-kind pieces. Every piece is the only one we have.