Wood ash glaze is the earliest form of high temperature glaze that used in stoneware celadon. Ash settling upon the pots in a wood-fired kiln combined with the silica within the clay to form crude glazes on Chinese pottery 2000 B.C. The effect can be seen clearly on early celadon pieces without the celadon color. Usually the celadon potters combined ash with clay to create a "recipe" and this mixture was applied to the pot before placing in the kiln to create the first true glaze that wasn't accidental.

The celadon artist Mr. Chen Ai-Ming is the first Zhejinag Arts & Crafts Master who reinvented the ancient technique under modern kiln since year 2000. Chen learned the skill from Mr. Xu Chao-Xing the high ranking China Arts and Crafts Master and Professor Gao Fong in Arts Department of Beijing Qing-Hua University. With hundreds times trial, Chen Ai-Ming finally created his own recipe to his unique tone of brown wood ash glaze through the control of iron oxide.

The uniqueness of Chen Ai-ming’s wood ash glaze celadon artwork not only comes from its color tone but the shape of bronze form with ‘Slanting-Knife’ skill. The slanting-knife is actually bamboo or ironic blade with various forms. During potting the ceramist spins and uses the blade to carve hundreds of thousands incised patterns. When you look at the subtle fluidity of each delicate that implemented on the charger, it is really one of the treasure from Chen Ai-Ming’s entire potting career.

The Wood Ash Glaze Dragon Phoenix Charger was designed and ordered by a private collector. This great piece is acquired from second hand market due to its rarity from our point of view. People believe the original artist Chen Ai-Ming will not take the same kind of assignment due to huge time consuming.

The Wood Ash Glaze Dragon Phoenix Charger is in perfect condition and Chen Ai-Ming’s signature on base with certificate signed and original packaging box form his workshop.


Time: January 5, 2006

Height: 6.9cm

Diameter: 29.5cm