德化陶瓷制作历史悠久，制瓷技术在不断发展基础上传承创新。陶瓷制作过程看似原始和简单，但实际上考验了陶艺家对泥土特性的把握和操纵的熟练程度。
2002年由新加坡亚洲文明博物馆出版的《中国白——德化白瓷》(Blanc de Chine—porcelain from Dehua)一书，收录了Kenson Kwok(郭勒逊)：A Note on the Construction of Dehua Figures《德化瓷雕结构的一点看法》一文，文中详细讨论了德化传统陶瓷的制作工艺，是一篇不可多得的德化陶瓷研究资料。与此同时，该文结合收藏家希克利收藏的160件德化窑精品，为了解、品鉴、研究德化白瓷提供借鉴。
在郭勒逊的文章中，总结了德化陶瓷三种主要制作方法，即模印成型、注浆成型及手工捏塑成型，比较系统地对德化瓷雕制作工艺进行诠释。
A Note on the Construction of Dehua Figures by Kenson Kwok
德化瓷雕结构的一点看法 (一)——郭勒逊
The most characteristic and recognisable of all Dehua wares-and that which made Dehua famous both domestically and internationally are the figure models. From the late Ming dynasty onwards, Guanyin figures by the thousands, accompanied by retinues of other Buddhist and Daoist deities as well as secular figure models, were exported from the Dehua kilns. The manufacture of figure models continues at Dehua to this day, whether mass produced in factories or individually crafted and finished in the workshops of private enterprise potters .
德化陶瓷中最具特色、为人熟知并使德化享誉国内外的是陶瓷雕塑。从明晚期开始，数以千计的观音瓷雕，连同其它佛教和道教神灵的随从以及世俗人物雕塑被从德化出口。德化的瓷雕生产至今仍在继续，无论是工厂大规模生产，还是私人制作。
Why Dehua should have emerged as a centre for the production of ceramic figures from around the middle of the sixteenth century is an issue that is becoming clearer. It is noteworthy that at this time, the port of Yuegang (near Haicheng) south of Dehua was one of the main entry points into China of exotic imports such as rhinoceros horn and ivory in their raw state. A craft industry would have sprung up in and around Yuegang to embellish and add more value to these expensive imports. Chapman argues convincingly that the Dehua potters could have used carved rhinoceros horn figures as models for the porcelain figures. In time, the potters themselves would have become accomplished carvers. For example, it is recorded that there were craftsmen in Dehua in the nineteenth century who excelled in both wood and clay carving. Local expertise in carving, the availability of models in other materials, as well as the relative stiffness of the clay prepared from locally mined porcelain stone making it ideally suited for piece-mould production, would seem to be the factors that facilitated the development and growth of the porcelain figure industry in Dehua.
为什么德化从 16 世纪中叶成为瓷雕的生产中心，这一问题正日渐清晰。值得注意的是，当时德化以南的月港(靠近海澄)，是犀牛角和象牙等的主要进口口岸之一。一个手工业行业也在月港及其周边地区迅速兴起，为这些昂贵的进口商品增添附加值（后文有解释）。查普曼有力地论证，德化陶工用犀牛角的雕塑作为瓷雕的模型。随着时间的推移，陶工们自己也成了出色的雕刻家。例如，据记载，十九世纪的德化有一批擅长木雕和泥雕的工匠。当地的雕刻技术，其他材料雕塑的可接近性，以及由当地开采的瓷石制成的粘土的相对硬度，使其非常适合用模具开展生产，而这似乎推动了德化瓷雕产业的增长。
（Figure 1: Seated Guanyin with ruyi sceptre. Height 17.8 cm, 20th century
图一: 如意观音，高17.8厘米，20世纪。）
翻译 | 德化窑遗产文化研究院 孙延燕
