Angle dependence of Jian bowl color and its coloring mechanism

•The angle dependence phenomenon of Jian bowl colors was classified into two types.•The first type of coloring mechanism is assumed to be coherent light scattering by an amorphous photonic structure formed during the firing process, which has weak angle dependence.•The second type of coloring mechanism is thin-film interference, which has obvious angle dependence and is closely related to the corrosion process of Jian bowls in the burial environment.