Page 28 - Zhangzhou Or Swatow The Collection of Zhangzhou Ware at the Princessehof Museum, Leeuwarden, Netherlands

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Decorative Motifs on Zhangzhou Ware

Common Motifs

The design and the motifs on Zhangzhou ware seem to be unique and distinctive, only to be found on this
particular ware. However, references for Zhangzhou ware are found on other wares; Zhangzhou ware is not
an isolated group. It shows many links with porcelain produced earlier and/or in other kilns in China. The
potters and artisans working in the kilns of Zhangzhou came out with their own versions and established their
own highly creative and individual identity.
The links of Zhangzhou are definitely not with the refined wares produced in the official kilns guanyao at
Jingdezhen, but with the non official, private kilns minyao in Jingdezhen and the coastal provinces in Southern
China, Jiangxi, Fujian and Guangdong.
The output of Ming minyao was much bigger than the production of the guanyao, the official kilns. These
“provincial” wares were popular on the domestic and overseas markets and represent primary sources for the
study of politics, social customs, economy and overseas trade during the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-
1911) dynasties. Still, most publications focus on imperial pieces only. As a result, there is still no
comprehensive framework of classification and dating for minyao. To make things even more complicated, Ming
artisans copied a great number of designs from pattern books which were used for several decades; similar
motifs appear in different periods, painted in different styles.

During the last few decades archaeological research flourished in China. A new generation of archaeologists
and scholars does not focus any more exclusively on Chinese imperial ware, but realizes the historical
relevance of ceramics produced in the private kilns. A good example is the excavation, research and publication
on a number of mostly blue and white wares from Ming burials and kilns with a dated context in Jiangxi
province. Styles and typologies of the blue and white pieces recovered provides the start of a standard point of
reference for the authentication and dating of pieces in public and private collections.

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