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- designs are marked by fresh innovation and lively spontaneity. There are medallions, bands, lappets, and friezes on these pieces, and the motifs include mythical creatures such as the dragon, phoenix and qilin (Chinese unicorn); garden scenes with rocks, bamboo and plants; fish and ducks in ponds; floral scrolls of lotus, peony and chrysanthemum; plantain leaves; wavy patterns; and auspicious symbols. Human figures are rare in the designs.
The blue and white ceramics exported to Southeast Asia, in particular the Philippines and Indonesia, were much more primitive than the previous category, as they were mass produced for a less demanding and non-discriminating market. These pieces were largely of a small nature including small bowls, jarlets, stemcups, all painted in a hasty manner, sometimes referred to as the �rapid painted style.� The usual motifs on these pieces are simple floral sprays or flowers connected by trailing vines often in combination with classic scrolls and lotus panels (see figs. 2 to 7). This ceramic trade with Southeast Asia greatly declined by the end of the 14th century, probably due to the civil war in China.
Ming Blue and White Porcelain
Brian McElney�s essay �Ming Blue and White,� that follows the general introduction, covers the style of Ming dynasty blue and white porcelain quite adequately. Therefore, we will only briefly delve into the subject before continuing on to Qing dynasty blue and white wares.
The Mongols of the Yuan dynasty were driven from China by Zhu Yuanzhang, who set up the Ming dynasty in 1368, and became known as the emperor, Hongwu (reigned 1368-1398). During the civil war, the production of blue and white porcelain greatly declined and many of the kilns at Jingdezhen were devastated. However, according to some sources, a Ming imperial porcelain factory was established just outside Jingdezhen as early as 1369.
The few examples of blue and white porcelain, which can be dated to Hongwu�s reign, are considered inferior to the pieces made before and after his reign. The designs on these pieces remained predominantly floral, but the painting style lacked the imagination and vitality of the ceramic decorators of the Yuan period. It appears there was a temporary shortage of imported cobalt blue, so the impure local cobalt, which was used for decoration, gave a greyish blue colour. As a result of this cobalt shortage, potters at Jingdezhen seem to have preferred to work in underglaze copper red, which had already been developed in the Yuan period. In the 1387/8 edition of Geku Yaolun, the author Cao Zhao describes Yuan dynasty blue and white ceramics as vulgar. Therefore, it does not appear to have yet become popular among the Chinese at this time.
Hongwu�s son, Yongle (r.1403-1424), energetically supported the manufacture of porce�lain at Jingdezhen, which saw a sudden increase in new shapes and an expansion of the decorative motifs. White porcelain was preferred early in his reign, but blue and white began to make inroads. Blue and white porcelain of Yongle's time continued the decorative traditions passed on by the preceding Yuan dynasty, but the blue decoration became less crowded with more unembellished white space. The blue decoration tended to be dark and somewhat blurred or unstable, having oxidized and run during the firing.
By the reign of Xuande (r.1426-1435), the output of blue and white porcelain was large and of exceptional quality catering to both foreign and domestic markets, and for imperial and non-imperial use. It is during the Xuande period that a surprising number of unique and occasionally bizarre shapes appeared. A special feature of both the Yongle and the Xuande period is the marked foreign influence on the ceramic shapes. Particularly noticeable are the vessel shapes and decorations of the blue and white porcelain, which were modelled after pottery, silver, gold and brass vessels of Persian, Syrian and Turkish origin.
The blue and white porcelain made during the reign of Xuande is considered to have reached the pinnacle of its achievement and its greatest flowering. This period of un�challenged mastery in technique and decoration is referred to as the �classic� or �golden age� of Ming blue and white porcelain. Xuande blue and white porcelain is noted for its
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