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- century, but it was not until the mid-14th century that blue and white wares were being produced on a substantial scale at Jingdezhen.
Another important event for the dating of early blue and white ware was the discovery in 1976 of a Yuan dynasty shipwreck (datable to 1323) off the coast of Korea at Sinan. Among the nearly 19,000 pieces excavated by 1983, not a single example of blue and white ware was found. This absence would lead one to conclude that blue and white wares were still not yet developed to a satisfactory level for export. There is an interesting Yuan blue and white vase and stand in this exhibition belonging to Brian McElney (fig.1), which has a similar shape to some yingqing vases and stands found in the Sinan wreck.
Another early group of Yuan blue and white porcelain has recently been discovered at the Yuqi kiln site in China's southwest province of Yunnan. The greyish-blue porcelain manu�factured here fits into the category of the blue and white or qinghua wares. Thus far, it is the only other Yuan kiln site found to be producing blue and white ware. It used the local cobalt ore with manganese for the blue decoration.
Yuan Blue and White Porcelain
Blue and white porcelain had reached a high level of quality during the reign of Emperor Zhizheng (1341 -1368) as evinced by the renowned pair of temple vases with their meticu�lously drawn decorations dating to 1351 in the Percival David Foundation. These vases with reliable inscriptions are a landmark or milestone in the early chronological develop�ment of blue and white porcelain. There are also a number of pieces of similar type in the great collections of the Topkapu Saray in Istanbul, Turkey and the Ardebil Shrine in Iran. In 1980 a hoard or stash of 239 Yuan ceramics, 19 of which were of the underglaze blue type, were excavated from a pit at Gaoanxian, Jiangxi province. These pieces have also greatly contributed to the study of Yuan underglaze blue decorative designs such as dragons, lotus and peony scrolls.
Yuan dynasty blue and white produced at Jingdezhen fall into three basic categories:
1) large size finely painted sturdy well-shaped forms;
2) small size roughly formed and cursorily painted vessels, which were mass produced,
often from moulds;
3) thin-walled delicately painted porcelains.
The first group was extensively exported to the Near East and the second group was exported to Southeast Asia. The third group was used by the upper classes within China.
The blue and white porcelain exported to the Near East were influenced by Persian and Arab merchants at Chinese ports, who introduced Near Eastern or Islamic decorations and shapes to meet the specific demands at home. The preferred decorations and shapes, usually in large sizes, were modelled after Near Eastern metalwork, which often had dense floral and geometrical patterns. However, there is also a theory that it was the Yuan Mongol court in China that provided the stimulus for the unique decoration on early blue and white wares from designs on their embroideries, tapestries and court costumes. It appears that possibly a combination of influence from both the Yuan Mongols and the Muslim traders may have affected the style and shape of this group of ceramics. The extensive empire of the Mongols allowed for the opening up of trade routes across Asia, and made possible the exchange of artistic ideas and techniques between China and the Near East.
The pieces in this category are all large and heavy, boldly potted and neatly finished. The bases are unglazed and often have spiral traces of the potter�s wheel, the glaze is thick and bluish, the decorations are blackish-blue sometimes discoloured with rusty spots, and the body shows a reddish tinge where it is left exposed. In comparison with later pieces of the 15th century, the paste on these pieces is whiter and coarser in grain. This category has a limited number of shapes such as dishes with flattened rims having either plain or foliated edges, vases of meiping or guan shape, bowls, bottles or flasks, and stemcups. Their
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