Though it was first discovered in China and called “qingci,” which means greenish porcelain, the Western term “Celadon” has a few possible origins. One is the character of a sheppard who wore a light green cloak in Honore d’Urfe’s 1610 play, L’Astree. Another holds that celadon is the amalgamation of two Sanskrit words, “sila” and “dhara” which mean stone and green respectively. However the most common theory is that it is a simplified version of salah-ed-din (Saladin), the sultan of Egypt, who sent forty pieces of this ware to the sultan of Damascus in 1171.

A type of porcelain, modern celadon products are usually made in the light greens and blues even though celadon colors can range from jade to white.

Indeed, the latest archeological evidence suggests celadon was first fired in its white form in China at least 1,000 years ago, if not more. Though it was previously believed celadon made its first appearance in the Song Dynasty (930-1280), a January 2003 excavation of a kiln in China’s Anhui province dating to the Five Dynasties period (907-960) uncovered several hundred pieces of white celadon.

But today and throughout most of history, celadon has been known for its beautiful greens and blues. Its glaze comes from a mixture of several natural materials and is fired in a gas kiln at at least 1280 degrees Celsius for 10 hours. Celadon’s characteristic cracks are caused by the contraction of the body of the celadon product under the glaze during the firing process. They give celadon products an air of class and antiquity even when they are brand new.

Celadon was brought back to Thailand from Burma around 100 years ago by the Shan people who migrated at the time. With the rapid decline of Chinese celadon after 1912, a market for the Thai brand opened and slowly the Thai and Shan potters rose to meet those needs. Since then, the industry has prospered with Chiang Mai as its center and today there are many small, and a few large manufacturers of Thai celadon which is mainly glazed in the popular shades of green.

New breakthroughs in the technical process of firing celadon now offer many new contemporary colors. Modern Asian designers have skillfully blended the new designs with the centuries-old craft traditions to create breathtaking celadon wares which are now available to art enthusiasts around the world.