18. May 2025

In addition to the common wucai palette of red, green, yellow, purple, brown, and turquoise, another noteworthy color in Chongzhen wucai is blue - a hue that merits further discussion and study. A few representative examples can be cited based on existing publications and extant pieces: The “Blue Enamel Dish with Mandarin Ducks” from the Butler Family Collection in the UK (published in Seventeenth Century Chinese Porcelain from the Butler Family Collection),

11. May 2025

During the Chongzhen period, wucai porcelain reached a stage of remarkable technical and artistic maturity. Within both the domestic and European markets, however, purely wucai wares from this era are extremely rare, with the majority of surviving examples being blue-and-white or blue-and-white with overglaze enamel. One exceptional example of Chongzhen wucai is the “Covered Jar with the Story of King Wen Seeking Worthy Ministers” (Fig. 19) from the Butler Family Collection in the UK.

04. May 2025

The Tianqi and Chongzhen reigns together spanned twenty-four years. In practice, however, during the early Shunzhi period, Jingdezhen remained under the jurisdiction of the Southern Ming regime. Throughout the transitional phase between Chongzhen and Shunzhi, kiln operations in Jingdezhen remained relatively stable, and trade with the Japanese market continued largely uninterrupted. As a result, porcelain produced during the early Shunzhi years can be considered a direct continuation of

26. April 2025

During the Tianqi period, although the scale and output of Jingdezhen’s civilian kilns could not match the heights reached during the Wanli reign, they still maintained considerable vitality. By the mid-Chongzhen period, ceramic craftsmanship had further evolved, reaching a high level of sophistication that marked the final flourishing phase of Ming dynasty porcelain production in Jingdezhen.

26. April 2025

The winged dragon, known as the Yinglong, holds a revered place in Chinese mythology. It is said that during the Great Flood, Yinglong aided Yu the Great by carving rivers into the earth with its tail, allowing the floodwaters to flow into the sea.

19. April 2025

Jingdezhen overglaze polychrome porcelain, known as wucai (literally “five colors”), is a type of overglaze decoration that gradually developed during the Ming and Qing dynasties. The materials and techniques of wucai can be traced back to lead green glazes of the Han dynasty, the tri-colored glazed wares of the Tang dynasty (Tang sancai), as well as the liuli glaze and fahua polychrome decoration of the Yuan dynasty.

11. April 2025

After more than three years of effort, Dr. Jin Liyan and the team at Liangqing Shuwu Studio have released a sister volume titled Compilation of Records on Chinese Artworks Handled by Yamanaka & Co.’s Branches in Europe and America and the American Art Association.