Chapter 29 Section 3 High Achievements of Ming Dynasty Porcelain Art

In 1368 AD, Zhu Yuanzhang issued the slogan: "Expel the barbarians, restore China, set up guidelines and disciplines, and relieve the people of the people", wiped out the remnants of the Yuan Dynasty and various uprising armies, and became the emperor in Nanjing. The founding name was Ming, and the year was Hongwu. .In the Ming Dynasty, the development of its porcelain handicraft industry surpassed the achievements of the previous generation.In the process of Zhu Yuanzhang's extermination of the Yuan Dynasty, the Jingdezhen area fell under his control relatively early.In the early days of the Ming Dynasty, production gradually resumed on the basis of Yuan Dynasty craftsmen and porcelain-making techniques.The discovery of exquisite Hongwu porcelain relics at the Ming Hongwu Forbidden City site in Nanjing is proof.

During the Ming Dynasty, Jingdezhen became the center of Chinese porcelain production.The so-called "in the Ming Dynasty, all the most exquisite and beautiful porcelain came from Jingdezhen."Chinese ceramics headed by Jingdezhen have made many achievements, the main ones can be summarized as follows: (1) The achievement of white glazed porcelain exceeds that of any previous dynasty.White porcelain is the foundation of all colored porcelain, and the success of white porcelain has prepared conditions for the development of porcelain art.The white porcelain produced by the Imperial Ware Factory during the Yongle period was exquisite in shape, thin in body and smooth in glaze, and the whiteness was just right.In terms of feeling, it is soft and pleasing to the eye, very sweet, so it is called "sweet white glaze".The white porcelain of the Xuande and Chenghua period "juice is as clear as fat, and as bright as jade".This kind of white porcelain did not begin to change until Jiajing.Jiajing white porcelain is "pure and free of impurities". The glaze layer is relatively thin, but it is clean and beautiful.Although Wanli white porcelain is not as thick and lustrous as white porcelain in the early Ming Dynasty, it is "transparent and bright".These comments from previous generations of connoisseurs are quite accurate.

(2) On the basis of the achievements of white porcelain, new cobalt materials were mined, which made the blue and white art develop prominently and become the mainstream of colored porcelain.In addition to Jingdezhen's Imperial Ware Factory and folk kilns near Jingdezhen, blue and white porcelain kilns also developed in coastal areas and even in the southwestern border provinces.The areas with more production include Jiangxi, Fujian, Guangdong, Yunnan and other provinces.Among them, blue and white porcelain from Jingdezhen is the best.Jingdezhen's blue and white porcelain has different artistic achievements and styles in different periods.Yongle and Xuande blue and white are worthy of being artistic treasures, "unprecedented in a generation".His works emit a deep green blue, bright and vigorous.Coupled with the high cultural quality of the craftsmen and their proficient porcelain painting skills, the painted patterns seem to have used the chamfering method in traditional Chinese painting. Dark brown crystal patches appear in the smooth lines, emitting bright lead light.The screen is harmonious in shades, vivid and natural.In the mid-Ming Dynasty represented by Chenghua and Hongzhi, blue and white porcelain was made of Yongle Xuande cobalt and newly developed cobalt. Like the meticulous painting in traditional Chinese painting.The blue-and-white porcelain of Jiajing and Wanli represents the achievement of blue-and-white porcelain in the late Ming Dynasty.The quality of cobalt material has changed, and some colors are gray and quiet, and the blue flowers are also very attractive.Some blue and white colors are extremely thick, with purple in the blue.Some are used by the court, some are sold in the domestic market, and some are exported overseas.The blue-and-white porcelain of the Ming Dynasty was exported overseas in large quantities. It was found in almost all countries in Asia, and many were found in Egypt, Turkey, and Iran in the Middle East, and even in ancient cultural sites on the Pacific coast of the United States and the Gulf of Mexico.Blue and white with high artistic achievements has already become a boutique in various national museums and collectors who spare no expense to buy and collect.

(3) Red glaze and underglaze red are extremely successful.Both red glaze and underglaze red use copper oxide mineral raw materials as coloring agents.The coloration of copper elements on porcelain is more difficult to grasp than elements such as iron and cobalt.Before the Ming Dynasty, the application of copper red was not very successful.The red glaze of the Ming Dynasty is thick and shiny, bright and moist like gemstones, and is called ruby ​​red.The method is to hang the glaze on the green body, and after ingenious reduction flame roasting, the colloidal particles of metallic copper will play a role in the glaze.The red glaze of the entire Ming Dynasty was very successful, the color was stable and deep, the glaze did not flow, and the glaze did not fall off. It was dazzling and beautiful.

Underglaze red is painted under glaze with red color.Underglaze red painting is not as stable and beautiful as blue and white.The most successful is to point out a few fish shadows in the thick white glaze with freehand brushwork. After firing, the fish seem to swim up and down in the quiet and endless water. (4) The success of yellow glazed porcelain.China's yellow-glazed porcelain existed in the Sui and Tang Dynasties. It is actually a manifestation of unsuccessful firing of celadon.The truly successful yellow-glazed porcelain was produced in the Ming Dynasty, especially the yellow-glazed porcelain in the Hongzhi period was the most beautiful.Hongzhi yellow glaze is a kind of low-temperature glaze. The plain white porcelain is fired first, and the body glaze is extremely delicate.The yellow glaze is made of lead antimonate, which is made by adding zinc oxide, iron oxide, tin oxide, lead oxide, aluminum nitrate and other raw materials. It is poured on white porcelain and fired at low temperature with an oxidizing flame.Like the first blooming sunflower, it is delicate and crystal clear, with golden color, magnificent and exquisite.

The above-mentioned porcelain varieties are further developed on the basis of the achievements of previous generations of craftsmanship.There are many innovations in Ming Dynasty porcelain, as follows: (1) Blue and white red color.That is, on the glaze of the fired blue and white porcelain, a red alum is painted along the outline of the underglaze blue and white, and some alum red lines are added along the blue lines of the waves to add more color layers to the turbulent picture. , It also makes the artistic conception of the picture more profound.Some blue sea waves are painted with red sea monsters. These water beasts are red elves emerging from the sea, adding a lot of magical feeling to the picture.After the painting is completed, it is fired in a kiln at about 700-800°C.Production began in the early Ming Dynasty.

(2) Doucai.In the past, it was believed that Doucai was invented in the Chenghua period.According to the archaeological discovery of the Ming Dynasty imperial kiln factory in Jingdezhen, Jiangxi Province, it has been successfully fired into Doucai during the Xuande period of the Ming Dynasty.The Sakya Monastery in Tibet is a large temple with a long history, great power and wealth, and it houses treasures bestowed by successive emperors.Cultural relics workers cleared out two doucai mandarin duck lotus pond bowls with the inscription "Xuande year of the Ming Dynasty" inscribed in many collections, which are the same as those found in Jingdezhen archaeology.The method of doucai is that after the white plain body is finished, the outline of the decorative pattern is drawn with the painted porcelain raw material made of cobalt material, covered with white glaze, and fired at high temperature.Then, use red, ocher, green, yellow, purple and other colors to fill in the white glaze along the outline of blue and white to form a complete decorative picture.Enter the kiln for the second firing.The so-called "underglaze blue and white overglaze color, competing for beauty and beauty is called fighting color" is the summary of this craft.Doucai has the highest level of craftsmanship in the Chenghua period, and it has been produced in all generations.

(3) Colorful.According to the records of the Qing Dynasty, the content of five colors is very rich, and fighting colors are also included in the five colors.For the convenience of research and description in modern times, bucket color was proposed as a separate decoration topic.The meaning of five colors is slightly different. Wucai means colorful.It is to draw a complete decorative picture on the fired porcelain with red color (mainly alum red), green color, yellow color, gold color, purple color and other colors.There is also a small amount of blue and white content in the composition of some colorful flowers, but it does not occupy an important position, and other colors do not need to be painted along its outline.The use of color is relatively free and lively, such as the Jiajing multicolored fish and algae tank, where there are blue water plants in the algae.Wucai is also fired twice, with a temperature of about 800°C. Due to the strong color used, Wucai is also called hard color.

(4) Plain tricolor.This is a type of porcelain mainly used by the court.The royal family did not pay much attention to the use of big green and red for ancestor worship, heaven worship and some auspicious and superstitious religious activities in the court, but required simple and elegant colors. This is plain three-color.Mainly in the word "Su", the name of Sancai may be borrowed from the name of Tang Sancai, or it may mean colorful.In fact, plain three-color is not plain, it has more colors than blue and white, including yellow, green, purple and other colors.Its method is the same as that of five colors, and it is also painted on white porcelain fired at high temperature, and then fired.The content of the painting is similar to multicolored.The word "plain" on colored porcelain does not mean frugality, it just emphasizes "elegance" in a luxurious life.

In the porcelain industry of the Ming Dynasty, official kilns and folk kilns developed at the same time.Regardless of the cost, the official kiln strives for exquisiteness, and the output is not much.Beginning from Yongle in the Ming Dynasty, the porcelain produced by the official kiln bears the emperor's reign mark on it.The folk kiln has a large capacity and a large output. It produces not only fine porcelain for the enjoyment of the upper bureaucratic landlords and wealthy businessmen, but also coarse porcelain for the daily use of ordinary people. In other places, such as Fujian, Guangdong, and Yunnan, blue and white porcelains are produced, some of which are on a large scale, and many products are exported.The Longquan Kiln in Zhejiang continues to produce celadon, and there are also some exquisite works.In addition, the enamel flowers in Shanxi, Yijun in Yixing, and glazed pottery in Shiwan, Guangdong, are also of a high level of craftsmanship.Yixing Zisha pottery is even more unique, and they have made positive contributions in the history of Chinese ceramic development.