The history of Vietnamese pottery begins with clay items made of unglazed shells, molded with woven baskets, dark or light brown, thousands of years ago. Pottery is considered to be an early civilization of man, it was a myth and sacred in the legend: “Porcelain, porcelain is a kind of powder located deep in the earth, in the holy places that are guarded by demons. . If you want to exploit it, you must choose a good day. Up to the ground, thanks to the bright light of the sun illuminating the powder that turned into ceramics ... ".
Pottery industry has developed strongly first from Phung Nguyen period - Hung Vuong period (about 4000 years ago). In the history of Vietnam volume 1, page 38 states: “During the Phung Nguyen period, the technique of making stone had reached its peak level… Various types of ceramics such as bowls, mugs, jars… were shaped. Beautiful, strong, strong, mostly made from hands. The exterior of the pottery is covered with decorative patterns with sharp lines, flexible, soft curves, coordinated, symmetrical and harmonious. It was an expression of the rather high aesthetic of Vietnamese people at that time ... ”. Since ancient times, ancient Vietnamese people have thought of turntables, creating glaze to cover and enhance the beauty of pottery.
By the Ly - Tran dynasty, ceramic technology had a remarkable development with the appearance of a trio of pottery masters: Hua Vinh Kieu - Bo Bat village (Thanh Hoa), Dao Tri Tien - Tho Tho village (Ha North) and Luu Phong Tu - Ke Sat villagers (Hai Duong). All three men, after going to porcelain, learned pottery making and after returning they passed the craft to the villagers. Mr. Kieu returned to Bo Bat, Mr. Dao Tri Tien came to Tho Ha village and Mr. Luu Phong Tu taught pottery to Phu Lang village.
Distinctive characteristics have
If Bo Bat village and Mr. Hua Hua Kieu are famous for ceramic products made from white clay material, Tho Ha once had a bustle along with green clay products, Phu Lang village was bass. , rustic but extremely delicate with products from red clay.
Coming to Phu Lang, it is not difficult for people to see the images of red-brown tile roofs looming behind the village bamboo, the rows of jars along the winding village road and pottery and pottery pots stacked high on the porch. home. Those familiar images are still remembered by the extremely simple name "country spirit".
Of course, Bat Trang pottery or Tho Ha pottery are also typical products of Vietnamese people but the shiny brown eel skin of Phu Lang pottery has always evoked an idyllic "countryside", close, rustic but full of crystals. and show the skill of making pottery.
Phu Lang ceramic products include three main categories: Consisting of religious activities such as Buddha statues, incense burners and worshiping objects; Household pottery - one of the typical products of Phu Lang pottery - is extremely diverse and rich in types and designs, from jars, jars, angs to jars, jars even pipes and lime pots; Decorative ceramics, including decorative vases, flower vases, pottery paintings ...
Phu Lang pottery has distinctive features, which are brown, black brown, light yellow, dark yellow, brown yellow ... glaze products that people collectively call eel skin glaze. The outstanding feature of Phu Lang pottery is the use of the embossing method in the form of touch-and-touch, also known as clip touch, natural, durable and strange glaze color, the shape of a rustic but strong but rustic pottery containing beauty. pristine of earth and fire, but still showing the virtuosity in sculpting sculpture.
The special thing in Phu Lang pottery is the clay used by the village craftsmen. The land is not taken directly in the village, but is transported from Thong Vat and Cung Khiem (Bac Giang) and transported to Phu Lang by river (mainly Cau river). This makes geological structure and landscape of Phu Lang village unbroken. The collected soil must be a soft soil, then it is exposed to faded soil, mixed with soil, smashed into small pellets with the big toe, then allowed to be "hydrated", then slanted round and masonry. , select the hotel, break, sa until the ground must be smooth as a new roll only. A piece of soil before being masonry must be masonry, slanted dozens of times to be chunked on a turntable into a product. The clay must be finely refined, ensuring ductility and smoothness before being shaped.
Like Bat Trang and Tho Ha villages, Phu Lang is formed on a turntable. However, the glazing technique here cannot be mixed. Yeast is made from forest ash - usually lim, cheeses, quinces and gnashing (these plants are burned, white ash ashes), mixed with quicklime, crushed gravel and white alluvial mud. certain. This is considered the secret of the villagers, then let it dry, smash it into water, decant through a sieve of flour, and then turn it into a thick, yellow liquid like a bee. This enamel is then scanned onto the ceramic products and dried, then the ceramic products will be opaque white.
The final stage is burning. This is a very important step to ensure the color of the product. The furnace temperature must reach 1000 ° C, so that the outer skin is new, smooth and firm. Products loaded into the oven are also not arbitrary, but must ensure maximum space savings in the furnace as the cost of a batch of furnace is not small. Ceramic products are boiled for 3 days and 3 nights, the amount of heat in the furnace must also be gradually adjusted to increase the temperature until the second day when the pottery is cooked, then slowly reduce the temperature. At the end of the day, the ceramic is allowed to cool, removed from the kiln, and commencement of sorting. Standard ceramics must have the color of eel or cockroach wings, knock on must have echoes, otherwise they will be eliminated.
Each stage, from choosing soil, shaping, glazing to firing pottery, is carefully cared for by the potters until a ceramic product is born.
Pottery village rise in the new era
Up to now, Phu Lang has always been successful in preserving, protecting and promoting the traditional trades of its fathers. Phu Lang village is now not only a manufacturing village but also a destination to attract many tourists to learn about Vietnamese pottery. People here are used to visitors from far away who come to learn about the art of making pottery, or simply watch silently the image of the land and people of Vietnamese pottery village. Visitors to the village also directly participate in making their own ceramic products, from molding, shaping and then bringing them to the kiln until they have products to take home.
Not too prominent, no need to show off, but it is the simplicity and simplicity of Phu Lang pottery that always holds a firm foothold in the hearts of Vietnamese people. At one point, Phu Lang pottery seemed to have lost its position in the Vietnamese ceramic market when faced with too much competitive pressure from countless ceramic products on the market. Moreover, many young people in the village also follow many different professions but neglect the "ceramic" career that his father left behind. But in the end, the vortex of development still cannot diminish the true values.
In recent years, the village has a new generation of artisans trained from the art school - who are breathing into the soil of modern times to continue and develop their father's ancient pottery. Despite the change in engraving technology, ceramic stations to suit the tastes, but the golden brown eel skin is still an irreplaceable feature. Over several hundred years, Phu Lang pottery still intact the simplicity, simplicity and truthfulness.
Although Phu Lang is gradually transforming with the times, it still contains a very traditional, very homeland and very rustic soul of the ancient Kinh Bac country.
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