Taoya 陶雅

Taoya 陶雅 "The [Er]ya of porcelain" (also written 匋雅), original title Guci kuikao 古瓷彙考, was written during the very late Qing period 清 (1644-1911) by Chen Liu 陳瀏, courtesy name Xiangtao 湘濤, style Jiyuan Sou 寂園叟, Wangyunxuan 望雲軒 or Tangjingshi 唐經室 from Dantu 丹徒 (Zhenjiang 鎮江, Jiangsu).

The book, published in 1910 and with a length of 3 juan (in some editions, 2 juan) presents 889 paragraphs analysing traditional types of chinaware. It discerns between Ming- 明 (1368-1644) and Qing-period types, and explains specific names and designations, colours of the glaze, inscriptions (kuanzhi 款識), and marks. Chen gives useful hints to the marketing of porcelain and its prices. The book is important for the study of the history of Chinese porcelain and can be used as a handbook for collectors. There are many editions of the text with different titles, among them Cixue 瓷學 and Taoci huikao 陶瓷彙考.

The book is found in the series Jiyuan congshu 寂園叢書 and Jingyuan congshu 靜園叢書.