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- quantities for the domestic market. The typical themes, which occurred on pre-Transitional wares, such as the phoenix and dragon motifs, do not occur on Transitional pieces. The porcelain decorators borrowed ideas from other contemporary arts, namely woodblock prints and painting. This influence extends even to the use of inscriptions, including cyclical dates, and the use of the artist's seal as an integral part of the underglaze painted decoration. The exciting new style of decoration is generally executed in an outline and wash technique, marked by translucent washes and a subtle modulation of tonalities. To solve the problem of joining two sides of a painting when transposed onto a round object, swirling clouds and steep cliffs were introduced. There are at least 16 known Transitional pieces with cyclical dates between 1634-1646, which aid in the research and dating of this ware. Two of the 16 pieces just mentioned are in this exhibition (frontispiece and C). Another feature of Transitional ware is the combination of underglaze blue designs with incised decorations (anhua), which became widespread in the mid-Transitional period, and continued until the early years of the reign of Kangxi.
A brown glazed rim is another distinguishing feature of Transitional wares, which was introduced in the late 1620�s, perhaps to counteract chipping or flaking of the glaze. Many bowls of the mid to late Transitional period have unglazed rims, which are often covered by copper bands.
There was also a revival of reserve patterns, which originally had their heyday in the early 16th century. The Jiajing reign mark was sometimes painted on Transitional pieces after 1630, and even more frequently on wares after the establishment of the Qing dynasty in 1644.
The decline in imperial influence towards the end of the Ming dynasty coincided with a growth and expansion of export markets, most notably those in Japan and Holland. Previous trade restrictions on export were considerably relaxed. Besides the export of ceramics, which were Chinese in shape and decoration, special shapes were ordered to adorn the European dinner table or to function in the Japanese tea ceremony. However, it should be mentioned that at this time there are comparatively few instances of the introduction of foreign decoration. The demand for fine and exquisite porcelain from the Jingdezhen kilns was great, especially for �kraak� wares, which was a popular stock item for many years.
There seems to have been limited ceramic production in the first two decades of the Qing dynasty. Production appears to have been revived sometime in the 1660�s. A particular style of painting, apparently seen on paintings and woodblock prints of the period, which was characterized by repeated close-knit lines to represent landscape elements, emerged on later Transitional blue and white wares. Although these pieces can not be ascribed to one single painter, this style has been identified as �Master of the Rock� style (figs. 78 and 80). A few other decorative elements should be mentioned with regard to the Transitional blue and white wares for the domestic market. Borders with smudged dots or blotches and borders with pine needles or bamboo leaves occur on later Transitional wares and are not characteristic of Ming pieces.
The ceramic pieces that went to Japan, during the period of transition from the Ming to the Qing dynasty, are known as Shonzui ware and the lower quality Ko-sometsuke (old blue and white) ware. Both were popular for the tea ceremony. The Ko-sometsuke wares were thought to have been made during the reign of Tianqi (1621 -1627), while the Shonzui wares were first made in the early part of Chongzhen�s reign (1628-1644). Each type was especially tailored for the market for which it was destined, hence the designs and shapes were radically different. It is believed that Japanese patrons may have sent models, sketches or even some examples of Japanese ceramics to Jingdezhen for the Chinese potters to copy.
Ko-sometsuke wares were mainly made by the private kilns at Jingdezhen, but some were also made at kilns in Fujian province. Features of this ware include freely applied
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