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 (二)——郭勒逊
The earliest Dehua porcelain wares date from the Northern Song period (960-1127).While some of the vessel shapes appear to have been wheel thrown, a large proportion of the finds from that period are covered boxes made by press-moulding (i.e. clay pressed by hand into piece-moulds). More complex shapes such as small saucepots and jarlets with a flaring mouth were also press-moulded. The predominance of press-moulding continued in subsequent periods. Even plain, undecorated bowls that could easily have been wheel thrown were press-moulded in Dehua (see eg.).
德化瓷器的历史最早能够上溯至北宋时期（960—1127 年）。（编者按：此系作者依据当时的考古资料所得出的结论）。尽管部分器皿的外形看似是借助轮制工艺而成，但在那个时期，多数为模印成型的带盖盒子，其制作方式是通过手工将粘土按压进件模成型的。诸如调味罐以及广口瓶这类更为复杂的器形，同样是采用模范压制的方法成型。模范压制成型工艺所具备的优势极为突出且得以长久延续。在德化地区，即便是那些极易被忽视、毫无装饰的普通碗具，亦是经由压模工艺制作而成。
Dehua therefore differs in this respect from most other ceramic production centres in China where wheel-thrown production predominated, and press-moulding was used only selectively for certain shapes and wares. In fact, the use of moulds continues to be the predominant production method in Dehua today, although these are in plaster, for the slip-casting method of production which is now widespread throughout China.
故而，德化于此方面与其他中国陶瓷产区存在差异。其他产区大多运用陶轮开展生产活动，并且仅在特定的形状以及器皿上才会有选择性地运用压模工艺。实际上，模具的使用至今依旧是德化的主要生产手段之一，只不过当下采用的是石膏模具，注浆成型法也被广泛应用。
Some moulds used for past ceramic production have been excavated, but the published examples are all moulds for vessels. These moulds are made of refractory stoneware, and we can assume that the figure moulds would have been the same, even though there is no mention in the literature of any having been discovered (Xu Benzhang 1993). The scarcity of figure moulds in an archaeological context is not surprising, given the possibility that in Dehua the actual production of the figures may have taken place in home-based workshops at some distance from the kilns (Xu 1995：19).
当前，部分曾应用于陶瓷生产的旧模具已被发掘出土，不过所发现的几乎均为制作容器的模具。这些模具由耐火炻器制作而成，我们可推测其与瓷雕模具相同，即便在相关文献里并未提及（徐本章，1993 年）。在考古情境中瓷雕模具数量稀少并不足为奇，原因在于德化的瓷塑实际生产或许是在与窑口相隔一定距离的家庭作坊里开展的（徐本章，1995 年）。
Figure 5: Finishing luted joints by hand. Chengguan Vocational School, Dehua,1993.
图：手工接坯。德化城关职业中学，1993年。
翻译 | 德化窑遗产文化研究院 孙延燕
