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- glazed surface, which has small pin holes, resembling �orange peel skin� caused by bursting minute bubbles during firing, and for the presence of silvery-black crystal-like spots, known as the �heaped and piled effect�, which was due to the presence of iron impurities. The blue decoration on Xuande pieces was extremely stable and allowed for superb natural renderings with great tonal variation. This was perhaps a result of the precise blending of local and imported cobalt ores.
During Xuande�s reign, it became common to write the name of the dynasty and emperor�s reign mark (nianhao), either on the bottom or just below the exterior rim of a vessel. It did occur during Yongle�s reign, but genuine pieces with his reign mark are extremely rare. During later periods, the Chinese potter frequently applied the reign mark of previous emperors out of reverence for a past style, and sometimes purely for deception, which occasionally causes incorrect attributions.
It is reported that some 58 kilns manufactured over 44,000 porcelain objects for the Xuande court alone, most of which were blue and white porcelains.
After Xuande�s death there is a gap of 28 years in our knowledge of porcelain production at Jingdezhen. This period is commonly known as the �Ceramic Interregnum' (f 436-f 464). According to historical records, due to austerity measures, the manufacture of imperial porcelain was prohibited. However, it appears that illicit trade in blue and white porcelain did go on, including the use of Xuande�s reign mark on porcelains. These are generally thought to be of poorer quality than original Xuande pieces.
After stability returned to the country under Chenghua (1465-1487), the production of imperial porcelain was encouraged and resumed at full capacity, including the use of the Chenghua reign mark on porcelain. Chenghua period blue and white porcelains are noted for their meticulous and delicate paintings in a soft silvery blue derived from cobalt of local origin. The purity of the thin smooth glassy glaze, and of the ivory white porcelain body is also a distinctive feature. The underglaze blue porcelain produced during the next em�peror�s reign, Hongzhi (1488-1505), carried on the high artistic tradition of the Chenghua period with little change. Both the Chenghua and Hongzhi reigns are known as the �silver age� of blue and white porcelain. It was during these two reigns that the export of blue and white porcelain resumed on an extensive scale.
During the reign of Zhengde (r. 1506-1521), blue and white porcelain underwent a number of changes. The porcelain became heavier, was covered by a bluish-white glaze, and the decorations were more formal and crowded, and executed in a pale blue watery tone. The powerful Muslim eunuchs at the Chinese court began commissioning blue and white pieces from Jingdezhen for their own consumption. These particular pieces consis�ted mainly of accessories for the writing table such as brushrests, ink slabs, covered boxes and vases. They were able to influence some changes in shapes and ornamentation on the porcelains to suit their own religious and ethnic tastes such as the inclusion of Arabic or Persian inscriptions from the Koran (fig. 25). It should also be noted here, that there were other non-Chinese scripts used on Ming porcelain pieces since the Xuande period, which included Tibetan and Sanskrit.
The next emperor, Jiajing (1522-1566), was a keen adherent of Daoism. As a result, there are a large number of blue and white porcelains of his era with a new expanded range of motifs illustrating themes of Daoist lore such as the Eight Immortals, Shou Lao (God of Longevity), and symbols of longevity such as cranes, deer, peaches, pine trees, lingzhi (fungus of immortality), and the Chinese character for longevity (shou). Sages in land�scapes, children, and the �three friends of winter' (bamboo, pine and prunus) were also frequent motifs. These decorations were often the result of drawn outlines, which were filled in with a full brush. This technique allowed for production on a larger scale.
The colour of the underglaze blue porcelain at this time was a brilliant deep purplish-blue, and it was applied freely and heavily. Blue and white porcelain went into mass production and its artistic quality began to decline. In some cases, thousands of pieces were made with
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