proto-celadon

{{Short description|Form of ancient Chinese pottery}}

File:Proto celadon Zun wine vessel Shang period 16 to 11th century BCE.jpg wine vessel, Shang period, 16–11th century BCE.]]

Proto-celadon (Chinese: 灰釉陶, also 原始青瓷) was a type of Chinese ceramic which developed during the Shang and Jin periods. It is often described as "proto-porcelain", and was usually glazed in light yellowish green.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zOEfZtcSaFEC&pg=PA3|title=Chinese Porcelain: Art, Elegance, and Appreciation|first=Chen|last=Kelun|date=1 January 2004|publisher=Long River Press|pages=3ff|isbn=9781592650125}}

File:Proto celadon jar with ears and vertical stripes Warring States period 475BCE 211BCE.jpg period, 475–211 BCE.]]

The body of proto-celadon was high-fired, the Chinese classification including porcelain, with an iron content below 3%.Shanghai Museum permanent exhibit Firing temperature was around 1200 degrees Celsius. In Western terms the wares are stoneware. Surface treatment consisted of a lime glaze. The shapes manufactured in proto-celadon were similar to the objects manufactured in bronze.

Proto-celadon was mainly produced in the areas south of the Yangtze river. From the Han dynasty onward, production greatly improved in quantity and quality.