Celadon is a family of translucent glazes, usually soft green, blue or grey, that get their colour from a small amount of iron oxide. Traditional celadons are fired in reduction, and they pool darker where the glaze runs thick.
What Is Celadon?
Celadon glazes come from Chinese stoneware and porcelain traditions more than a thousand years old, and later Korean and Japanese work. The classic jade-green colour comes from roughly 1 to 2% iron oxide in a glaze fired in a reduction atmosphere, which changes the iron to a form that gives cool greens and blues.
Because celadons are transparent, they show off carving and texture beautifully. The glaze collects in incised lines and pools darker, highlighting the pattern, which is why they are often used over porcelain and carved stoneware.
Many glaze makers now sell celadons formulated for electric kilns at cone 6, getting a similar look in oxidation with adjusted recipes or colourants. The results differ from gas-fired celadons, so it pays to fire a test tile on your own clay before glazing a whole set. A white porcelain or light stoneware shows a celadon’s colour most clearly, while darker clays push it towards olive and grey.
This pottery glossary entry from Le Studio Art Space is general educational content. Always follow the clay, glaze and kiln makers’ data for your own materials and equipment.