Page 56 - Yuan Dynasty Ceramics

Chapter 07 (pp. 330-385)_Layout 1 7/7/10 5:42 PM Page 385

Hongwu emperor’s imperial palace at Nanjing. During tion at the Longquan kilns declined severely due to the
the reign of the Xuande emperor, too, iron red and other loss of imperial patronage and heavy taxes. In accordance
overglaze enamels were used in combination with under- with the taste and precepts of the Chinese early Ming
glaze blue to create the earliest known examples of doucai literati, production of popular wares from the Cizhou
(joined colors), considered precursors to the most kilns continued during the Ming and Qing dynasties not
renowned examples of doucai produced during the reign as an art form but as a way of creating utilitarian vessels.
of the Chenghua emperor (1465–1487). 254 Ming Cizhou jars, sometimes large, and occasionally with
dated inscriptions, seem to have been commonly used
for wine shipment and storage. 256 Conversely, Jun wares
Conclusion: The Enduring Influence of
enjoyed a revival in the late fourteenth to early fifteenth
Yuan Ceramics centuries when potters at the Juntai kilns were inspired
by classic Song examples. 257
The ascendancy of the porcelains of Jingdezhen under Probably due to cultural bias against the non-Chinese
the Yuan dynasty enriched and changed perceptions of Mongols, early Ming scholars did their best to obscure
Chinese ceramics both nationally and internationally. De- the Yuan dynasty’s place in history. Indeed, many Chi-
velopments under the Mongols of the Yuan dynasty, es- nese scholars during the time of Khubilai’s reign through
pecially the creation of blue and white porcelain, added the fourteenth century harbored deep-seated anti-foreign
to China’s lasting reputation as the world’s leader in ce- and anti-Islamic attitudes that influenced their ability to
ramics. The empire thrived because of the free exchange appreciate outside ideas and innovations. But scholarly
of goods and ideas during this innovative eighty-nine- resistance could not forever mask that the confluence of
year period. Mongol, Tibetan Buddhist, and Muslim influences in the
As Jingdezhen gained an ever-larger share of the ce- Yuan court had resulted in the creation of the world’s
ramics market, potters at other Yuan kilns such as finest blue and white porcelain. 258 The Mongols, who had
Longquan appropriated its designs and techniques. Dur- enlisted the services of worthy, conquered artisans from
ing the first reign of the Ming dynasty, painted designs myriad countries, had encouraged a great flourishing of
popularized at the Hongwu imperial kiln were repro- artistic innovation in ceramics during their rule. Conse-
duced in carved and molded Longquan celadon. Excava- quently, even as fourteenth-century connoisseurs dis-
tions at the Hongwu imperial kiln have revealed blue and missed the vulgar taste of the Mongols, or disparaged
white, and underglaze red, designs that recur on their practices, blue and white porcelain captivated an
Longquan wares believed to be of the same period. 255 ever-growing audience among the Chinese and others
Later in the Ming and Qing dynasties, however, produc- both near and far. 259

Yuan Dynasty Ceramics 385