MING DYNASTY (1368–1644)

The production of blue-and-white porcelain with cobalt blue underglaze painting came into the fore during the Ming dynasty. This type of decoration likely came from the Near East. In China, the blue-and-white combination with indigo blue painting on a white background under the glaze reached its peak during the reign of the Ming dynasty. In turn, the Chinese ware became the model for pottery production in the Near East (Iran and Turkey) and Europe. During the Ming dynasty, the cobalt blue used to decorate porcelain was imported from Persia. Porcelain was produced in the imperial workshops in Jingdezhen (Jiangxi province) and in other workshops. The most important items come from the periods of the Yongle (1403–1424) and Xuande Emperor (1426–1435). During this period, porcelain was also decorated with coloured overglaze enamels, such as in the wucai style (five colours, with blue areas painted in underglaze cobalt blue and, after firing, other colours are added with overglaze enamels in yellow, green, purple, and black); this technique was also used during the subsequent transitional period and during the reign of the Qing dynasty.

The Ming dynasty is marked by increased porcelain exports to other Asian countries and to Europe, where it arrived through Portuguese traders starting in the late sixteenth century and later through the Dutch East India Company. (JMl)