Page 123 - China, 5000 years : innovation and transformation in the arts

Zheng He's seven expeditions to the southwest NOTES
further promoted trade links with central and west
Asia, and brought back cobalt ore for "Somali" 1 Archaeology team of the
blue. This imported blue colorant had a high iron Famen Temple, Shaanxi
and low manganese content. The low manganese Province. "Brief Report on the
content reduced the grayish tint in the blue, and Excavation of a Tang Dynasty
Underground Palace at the
with proper firing it could produce a sapphire blue Famen Temple Pagoda in
color. At the same time, due to the high iron Fufeng," Wenunt, 1988:10.
content, black iron flecks often appeared in the
blue, and these naturally occurring black iron flecks 2. Wang Qingzheng, Ytte Ware
yielded an interesting contrast with the rich blue
Mise Porcelain (Shanghai Classics
color. The three Yongle and Xuande blue-and- Publishing House, 1996).

white pieces in this exhibition (cats. 142-44) are
excellent examples of well-made blue-and-white
works of this period.

Although blue-and-white dominated production, 3. Li Linfu et al., comp., Tang
the Yongle and Xuande eras also saw the liudian, vol. 23
manufacture of a small number of extraordinary
monochrome-glazed pieces, including red, brown, 4. Shelagh Vainker, "Ge Ware
jade green, shadow blue, yellow, yellow-green, blue, Conference Report
Ge-type, Ru-type, and low-temperature green Symposium on Ge Ware,
Shanghai Museum, October
glazes. 1992," Oriental Arc, Summer

From the late 1430s through the early 1460s, 1993-
political turmoil in the Ming court caused
5. Zhao Qingyun, "Excavation
porcelain production at the official (i.e., court- of a Kiln Site at Diaotai.Yu
controlled) kilns in Jingdezhen to decline. Orders County, Henan Province,"
from the court revived with the start of the
Wenuni, 1975:6.
Chenghua era in 1465. Doucai porcelains of the
Chenghua era, whose decoration combines blue 6. Wang Qingzheng, Fan
painting under a clear glaze with polychrome Donqing, and Zhou Lili, The
enamels over the glaze, are works unmatched before Discovery of Ru Kilns (The
or since. The Doucai vase with the floral pattern in Woods Publishing Company,
this exhibition (cat. 146), though of the Yongzheng
period, exemplifies the delicacy and soft, 1991).
harmonious palette of Doucai designs.
7. Wang Qingzheng, "Some
Issues in the Study of Song
Dynasty Guan Wire," Essays

Celebrating the 30th Anniversary
of the Minqin Jingshe (Liangmu
Publishing House, 1995), p. 124.

Under Qing patronage Jingdezhen continued to
thrive and its output to increase. The Ming

repertoire continued in production, with the
favored blue-and-white underglaze porcelains
refined to a somewhat chilly perfection. Unflagging

demand at home and abroad spurred technical

innovation, producing a range of exquisitely subtle
monochromes for the court and, to a very different
taste, a huge variety of polychrome-enameled
vessels (cat. 145) and figures of breathtaking

virtuosity. The pieces 111 this show include choice
items that embody five thousand years of Chinese
history, and may leave viewers who are partial to
Ming and Qing porcelains hungry for more.
Perhaps this will provide the Guggenheim Museum
with reason to organize a future exhibition of Ming
and Qing treasures.

Translated, from the Chinese, by June Mci. 121
THE DEVELOPMENT OF CHINESE CERAMICS