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This beautiful blue-and-white prestige
porcelain
vessel dates from around the Ming
Dynasty, a
period that is known for the creation of
exquisite
blue and white porcelain pieces. The
fine details
of the cobalt blue and white as well as
the
delicate craftsmanship of porcelain make
these
Ming Dynasty vessels highly valuable.
Many
vessels like this one include elaborate,
detailed
floral imagery.
The Ming Dynasty, which ruled China
between
the mid 14th and mid 17th centuries AD,
is
widely believed to be one of the most
definitive
and important in China’s long history.
Arts and
sciences flourished during this time.
Advances
were made in painting in addition to
wood/ivory
carving, jade-working, lacquer, and
duotone
(blue-white) ceramic design and
decoration. The
most prestigious pieces were presented
as
diplomatic gifts to Europe, Japan and
Southeast
Asia. Lesser works flooded the market as
trade
goods, giving rise to a global obsession
with
chinoiserie. The major production
centers for
porcelain items in the Ming Dynasty were
Jingdezhen in Jiangxi province and Dehua
in
Fujian province. The Dehua porcelain
factories
catered to European tastes by creating
Chinese
export porcelain by the 16th century,
often
painting designs direct from bookplates,
paintings or other illustrations in
order to appeal
to a wider European audience. The best
items
remained as prestigious diplomatic
goods,
however.
- (PH.0284)
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