HUO JIN(Dates unknown)
Huo Jin was a renowned pottery artist during the Republic of China period. While his birth and death dates remain unknown, his influence on pottery was undeniable. He was particularly famous f o r h is human and animal figurines, especially oxen sculptures, known as ‘Huo Jin’s Ox’, which earned widespread acclaim.
His oxen were often left unglazed, allowing their natural spirit and form to shine through. The details of their fur were finely rendered, and he captured them in standing and reclining poses, imbuing each with lifelike movement and artistic depth. Beyond oxen, his repertoire included horses, geese, and various figurines such as ‘Bony Immortal’.
Unfamiliar with glazing, Huo Jin primarily created unglazed works. His glazed works were typically done by others, using commercially available colours suc h as wh i te , b l u e , and yellow. The Guanhua Kiln once commissioned him to replicate works by celebrated artists like Huang Bing, achieving remarkable fidelity to the originals. His midperiod works often bore a seal in relief inscribed with ‘Produced by Dongyuan Kiln, Ershatou, Guangzhou’ in seal script, while his later works bore the intaglio stamp ‘Made by Huo Jin’ in regular script.
Following the Second Sino- Japanese War, Huo established his own shop, employing a team and achieving commercial success. He later relocated the business to Taiping Street in Shiwan. Huo passed away in Shiwan sometime in the late 1940s. His distinctive style and exceptional craftsmanship left a legacy on Shiwan ceramics.