The historical evolution of Ming Dynasty five-color porcelain

The development of Ming Dynasty five-color porcelain can be roughly divided into three major stages: Hongwu and Yongle for the initial period, Xuande to Zhengde for the development of the period, and Jiajing and Wanli for the maturity of the period.　

Hongwu to Yongle period

Early Ming Dynasty glazed porcelain heirlooms are rare, because at that time, Jingdezhen continued the Yuan Dynasty porcelain mainstream products, blue and red glaze production. However, from the few Hongwu glazed red color can be determined, Hongwu period of red-colored porcelain has been for the "five-color" porcelain development of vigorous sound momentum, it can be said that the Hongwu glazed red-colored porcelain has opened the Ming dynasty five-color prelude to the glory of the porcelain.

Hongwu period of five-color porcelain is rare, the main reason is that the Hongwu dynasty imperial kiln factory set up later, when the porcelain should be made for the people's kiln burned. 1964 in nanjing Ming Palace site found in the Hongwu period of the glazed red dragon fragments, "the plate wall table each painted five claws of red dragons two and two clouds". The composition of a very strong sense of movement, the penmanship dashing strong, dragon pattern spatial arrangement of sparse and dense, cloud painting method is also vivid and lively, full of meaning; Tire wall proportionality, light and thin, to the light reflection, inside and outside of the dragon superimposed on one, showing the early Ming dynasty high and exquisite production standards. Though the object is small, but the pattern pattern layout is reasonable, is the early Ming glaze color production achievements show. In particular, it should be pointed out that the fine dragon and cloud patterns depicted in red color only appeared in Jingdezhen at the beginning of the Ming Dynasty.

Also, the Ming Hongwu "Five-color Bound Lotus Pattern Jade Pot Spring Vase" has a distinctive mark of succession. It lacks the timeless beauty of the mid-Ming dynasty in its modeling and appears to be more rugged, in terms of scale and proportion, some details are not rigorous enough, and there are still remnants of the Yuan dynasty's multi-layered decorative decorations, with the lotus motifs painted in a loose and lively manner, but as a whole there is a great difference between the modeling of the Yuan dynasty and the Yuan dynasty.

On the Yongle glazed porcelain, the past has not been found on the glaze, only glazed red, such as the Imperial Kiln Factory site unearthed Ming Yongle "red color dragon and phoenix pattern pier type bowl", "red color cloud dragon straight mouth bowl". 1986, Mr. Feng Xianming had been in Jingdezhen, "to see some of the new discovery of the Yongle colored porcelain, this batch of porcelain in the white glaze red, blue and red color, White peacock green color, white ground carved and filled with soy sauce, white ground carved and filled with soy sauce plus green color, yellow green color and so on. According to Feng, the discovery of these colored porcelain varieties shows that most of the colored porcelain of the late Ming Dynasty had been pioneered during the Yongle period.

Suande to Zhengde period

Suande kilns produced an unprecedented number of varieties of porcelain, purely glazed with red glaze and five colors. There is a documented record: "colored porcelain began in xuande." But from the recent archaeological findings, Hongwu has red color appeared. However, Xuande burned red color, compared to the Hongwu red color is more vivid, and the hue of heavy and light points. "Xuan kiln five color deep pile", may be referring to this tone of heavy red color. Hebei Anji County has unearthed Ming Xuande "red color twining branches eight auspicious three-foot furnace", the red color was black purple, dark and thick, the surface is not light, pattern lines rough. Xuande red color is the beginning of the glaze red color and five colors, laid the foundation for the development of later generations.

After Xuande, the Ming Dynasty went through the Zhengtong, Jingtai, Tianshun three dynasties, ****28 years. This period, in the history of ceramics known as the "blank period", in the heirloom works and non-Jingdezhen area archaeological excavations have never seen a piece of porcelain can be identified as the official kilns of these three dynasties. The Ming History records that Emperor Yingzong took the throne in the first month of Xuande ten years, had once reduced the levy, making. The imperial kiln factory had also stopped firing.

"Ming Emperor's Records" records, Zhengtong three years, "ordered the House of Justice out of the list, forbidding the Jiangxi porcelain kilns burned in the official sample of blue and white porcelain in the sale of goods and gifts to the official's home. Violators of the death penalty, the whole family banished outside the mouth". Zhengtong twelve years, "forbidding raozhou province in jiangxi to make yellow, purple, red, green, green, blue, white blue and white porcelain. Ordered by the Office of the General Prosecutor's Office list Oracle their place, there are still dare to risk the former ban, the first offender executed by death by lynching, their family money, Ding male military border guards, know and not to inform, even sit down". Jingtai five years, "reduce the Raozhou annual porcelain one of three". Tianshun three years, "the light of the temple of Raozhou, Jiangxi Province, burned porcelain * * * thirteen thousand three hundred and thirty thousand more. Ministry of Industry to Raozhou people difficult, played eighty thousand, from it. From these documents, the orthodox period of Jingdezhen burned porcelain has strict restrictions, the other two dynasties are also in the reduction of porcelain burning. These initiatives, the development of Jingdezhen ceramics during the three dynasties must have an impact. In recent years, with the depth of archaeological excavations, many scholars have strengthened the Ming dynasty, the study of these three dynasties, inferred that the development of ceramics in this period probably have several conditions: First, Xuande at the end of the year stayed unfinished ceramics in the three completed and still book Xuande paragraph or not fall, this inference comes from the Chenghua early official paragraph of the tire, glaze, and painting patterns and Xuande kilns and the official difference is not too big. Secondly, political instability, civil unrest in the palace and socio-economic decline were also a factor that cannot be ignored. Thirdly, the turn of the upper rulers in their hobbies and interests may also be another important reason.

Jingtai especially popular during the period of a copper enamel on silk, this process has a long history, but in the Ming Jingtai years the production of the most refined, the most famous, later generations will be "cloisonné" to call this copper enamel on silk. To sum up, the Ming dynasty Zhengtong, Jingtai, Tianshun three dynasties in the official kiln porcelain firing, there is indeed a stagnant phenomenon, but from other sources, the porcelain kiln firing has never stopped. 1988, Jingdezhen in the Ming imperial kiln factory site west of the discovery of the official kilns of the Ming dynasty Zhengtong accumulation layer. This discovery will make people realize more with the depth of research.

Ming Chenghua dynasty **** 23 years of history, but the number of porcelain burned in Jingdezhen for the court is very large. "Ming history - food and goods" cloud: "between the Chenghua, sent in the official of the Furyang Jingdezhen, burned imperial porcelain, the most and long, the cost is not costly." Ming Wang Shi Shi "Guangzhi deduction" described: "the dynasty to Xuan, into two kilns for good. Xuan kiln to blue flowers win, into the kiln with light color, quite into the painting, so Xuan less than into." The Museum of the "description:" "into the kiln of the top, no more than five colors." From these documents, we can see two aspects of the situation, one is the Chenghua when the imperial porcelain firing number is very large, the second is the quality of five-color porcelain more and more exquisite. But Chenghua kiln porcelain is more striking is fighting color. About bucket color will be described in another article. For the convenience of the study, we are based on the convention, will be used as a color of blue and white ceramic decorations in the works known as five-color porcelain.

Chenghua five-color, has been quite mature. British Davide Foundation collection of Ming Chenghua "five-color lotus pond fowl play pattern plate", inside and outside the two sides are painted with red pigment outlines, did not use the blue outline, and the plate pattern in the lotus pattern using brightly colored imported green material. The pattern is dominated by the lotus pattern of mandarin ducks, with a delicate and lively composition and pure painting skills. Particularly noteworthy is the use of a lot of yellow color in the picture, the main pattern of yellow color on the bottom, and then rendered in red on top, so that the color is more colorful and thick. This colored porcelain confirmed the Ming Dynasty porcelain so-called "yellow on red" painting technique, started in the Chenghua, not from Jiajing. This is very important.

Ming Hongzhi dynasty of colored porcelain is basically a continuation of the Chenghua style, the most distinctive varieties are carved fill color. The production method is engraved on the tire to fill the color of the required pattern pattern, on the transparent glaze will be engraved on the pattern left out, will be fired at high temperature and then in the white glaze on the exposed tires on the application of color and low temperature grill can be. Taipei National Palace Museum collection of Ming Hongzhi section "five-color cloud dragon dish" is a typical example, the dragon pattern in the underglaze tires carved into the glaze with peacock green, alum red, yellow and other colors painted, it marks the production of glazed five-color has entered a mature period. Taipei national palace museum collection of another yellow green color ware "jiao yellow ground piling flowers green color catch beads dragon high bowl", wide mouth and narrow lip, deep bowl wall, high rim; bowl outer wall piling decorated with double dragons playing with beads, decorated with cloud pattern; inner wall is clean and undecorated, thin yellow glaze, patterned with green color fill decoration. In the center of the bowl is the mark in seal script, Hongzhi nian zhi ('Made during the Hongzhi period'), filled with green enamel. These green enamels on a white ground and green enamels on a yellow ground were the most important varieties at the time of the Hongzhi reign.　Ming Zhengde fired colored porcelain, its shape, decoration, in addition to inheriting the tradition of the previous generation, but also in the innovation of the establishment of the unique style of the Zhengde dynasty. Zhengde five-color is in the white glaze ware directly painted on another five-color decoration, this process, the use of wider. Zhengde white glaze colorful ware production fine, using more red, green, yellow color, green green and peacock green, green and light flash yellow. Some objects reuse yellow and green color, red color to do embellishment, or to set color to accentuate the decorations, increase the decorative picture vivid and lively feeling.

Chengde five-color porcelain decoration, in addition to the traditional flowers and birds and wear flowers and dragons, winged dragons decoration, but also in Arabic or Islamic patterns for the pattern for the decoration, become the Zhengde five-color porcelain another distinctive feature.

Jiajing to Wanli period

Ming Dynasty five-color porcelain after several dynasties of development, to the Jiajing, Wanli has been quite mature, the quality and quantity of the considerable, creating a new situation of five-color porcelain production in the history of ceramics has made an outstanding contribution.

Jiajing dynasty porcelain production in the Ming dynasty, due to the use of "government with the people burned" practice, the emergence of government kilns and kilns burning situation. At the same time the export of porcelain also greatly stimulate and promote the innovation of ceramic varieties. "Jingdezhen pottery records" recorded: "production Yikau, nothing is not." Jiajing glazed five-color to red, green, yellow, purple, peacock blue, black color depicting patterns, including red, green, yellow for the three main colors, there are also gold and other colors of the five-color ware. Jiajing "five-color clouds and cranes jar", the shape of round and full, bold and bold decoration, the whole body of blue and red, green, yellow color painting; cranes are first outlined in red color outline, and then fill in the yellow color, miscellaneous treasures and flowers embellished with the theme of the upper and lower decorations were painted deformation of the lotus petals and banana leaf pattern, the whole picture is warm and not flamboyant, very typical of the five-color features of the display of the Jiajing.　Jiajing five-color porcelain decorative content is rich, there is a dragon and phoenix as the main body and with water waves, auspicious cloud pattern, there are also flowers, birds as the theme of the pattern, as well as the baby play or character stories as the theme of the pattern. Five-color celestial horse pattern cover jar" modeling dignified, solid glaze, the main decoration painted four horses, the image of exaggerated and concise, very dynamic, other supporting decorations have colorful clouds, seawater pattern, the whole picture does not use blue, is pure glazed five-color works.

In many museums at home and abroad, jiajing five-color porcelain heirlooms a lot of products, of which more large ware, such as large pots, large tanks, large plates, etc.. Most of the Jiajing wucai wares have six-character blue and white regular script mark.

Ming dynasty Wanli kiln of five-color porcelain is still the main style of the previous generation, no new creation. Wanli five-color decoration changed the previous generation of the composition of fresh and sparse style, to pattern pattern full of dense for the victory, especially the use of hollowing process. The content of the decoration is still dominated by the dragon and phoenix flowers and plants, and there are baby play, eight immortals, deer and other patterns. There are also sculptural techniques to show, and with Taoist colors. Another auspicious content as the subject matter, such as happiness, fortune, longevity of these blessings with more auspicious words, more apparent civilian, mundane meaning. The Museum of the Essentials" contained; "leakage pattern, filled with five colors, gorgeous as cloud brocade." To skeletonization process and five-color combination of decorative methods, is the five-color porcelain in the Ming dynasty appeared new varieties. Wanli model "five-color openwork cloud phoenix bottle" is a typical openwork five-color decoration. The use of openwork carving and painting combination of decorative techniques, pattern dense, more but not chaotic, openwork carving process and color matching ingenious, warm colors, red, yellow, green, blue and many other colors to the whole object baked gorgeous and beautiful.

Jiajing, Wanli five-color ware **** the same characteristics, namely, the decoration of dense, colorful, production process and modeling is similar, and is often attributed to a class of artifacts. But Jiajing five-color more peacock green color, and Wanli five-color is not, this is an important difference between the two dynasties five-color porcelain.

The Ming Dynasty's five-color porcelain take the essence of nearly a thousand years of Chinese ceramic art, from the beginning to the development to maturity, from the Hongwu, Yongle to the Jiajing, Wanli, whether it is the five-color porcelain pigments, or painting techniques, firing techniques have reached the peak of the stage of the history of China's ceramic art has made an outstanding contribution to the history of the development of Chinese ceramic art.