China News Service, Nanchang, February 29th, Title: Appreciating Imperial Porcelain of the Ming and Qing Dynasties: Poems, Calligraphy, Paintings, and Seals are All Inscribed on Porcelain
China News Service reporter Li Yunhan
From solemn sacrificial porcelain to extremely ingenious ornamental porcelain, in the "Return of Imperial Porcelain" exhibition currently being held at the Jiangxi Provincial Museum, 180 imperial porcelain treasures record the most advanced porcelain making technology in China during the Ming and Qing Dynasties, and also carry It has a rich oriental charm and aesthetics.
The Imperial Kiln was an organization established in Jingdezhen during the Ming and Qing dynasties to organize the production of porcelain. The porcelain produced was exclusively for imperial use.
From literati to flowers, birds, fish and insects, from auspiciousness to Buddhism and Taoism, the theme decorations presented on imperial porcelain not only reflect the preferences of the rulers of the dynasty, but also embody the profound connotations of traditional Chinese culture.
On February 27, the "pastel consecrated bat-ear vase with poems and flowers pattern made by Emperor Qianlong" was on display at the Jiangxi Provincial Museum.
Photo by Liu Siwei
"Yongzheng appreciated more elegant and elegant porcelain, while Qianlong liked complicated, gorgeous and ingenious porcelain." In the exhibition, there is a "pastel consecrated Qianlong imperial poem and flower pattern bat-ear vase", a custodian of the Jiangxi Provincial Museum Collection Storage Department, Li Xuelei, curator of the "Imperial Porcelain Returns" exhibition, said that the paintings on this vase were painted by Jiang Tingxi, a famous official of Kangxi and Yongzong, and the flowers of the four seasons. The poems were from the poems inscribed by Emperor Qianlong. They were decorated with a combination of doucai and pastels. The craftsmanship is complex and The seal of "Weijingweiyi" and "Qianlong Chenhan" perfectly reflects that poetry, calligraphy, painting and seals are all imprinted on porcelain.
"Blue and white porcelain and underglaze red porcelain are both high-temperature underglaze colored porcelain invented in Jingdezhen in the Ming Dynasty." According to Li Xuelei, blue and white porcelain is painted with blue and white materials containing cobalt oxide. During the Yongle period of the Ming Dynasty, the blue and white porcelain used was imported suma liqing. , will produce rust spots. After continuous innovation, domestically produced blue and white materials were gradually tried during the Xuande period of the Ming Dynasty.
“It took six hundred years of uninterrupted process innovation for imperial kiln porcelain in the Ming and Qing dynasties to produce fine wares frequently and reach peaks one after another.”
On February 27, the "Blue and White Underglaze Red Folded Branches and Pomegranate Pattern Moon Vase" was on display at the "Return of Imperial Porcelain" exhibition.
Photo by Liu Siwei
Underglaze red porcelain is painted with copper red material and fired in a high-temperature oxidizing atmosphere. Its decoration is red.
Li Xuelei said that the successful firing of underglaze red requires precise temperature control, which is very difficult. The imperial kiln began to continuously improve the experimental technology since the early Ming Dynasty. By the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty, the color was stable, and the blue and white underglaze red technology had become extremely mature during the Yongzheng period.
As a "high-precision" scientific and technological achievement, Imperial Kiln porcelain can be said to have gathered the porcelain-making wisdom of famous kilns in the past, integrating the strengths of various craftsmanship and the essence of traditional Chinese culture.
According to Li Xuelei, the Jingdezhen imperial kiln can not only produce glaze colors that imitate the famous kilns of the previous generation and even the same era such as Guan, Ru, Ge, Ding, Jun, Longquan, etc., but it can also cross-border "finishing work" and use porcelain to make several shapes. It can look like real imitation bronze, copperware, lacquerware, bamboo weaving, woodware, goldware, jadeware and other products.
Jingdezhen imperial kilns can use porcelain to produce almost realistic imitation bronze, copperware, lacquerware, bamboo weaving, woodware, goldware, jade and other products.
Photo by Liu Siwei
"The monk's hat pot from the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty on display this time is made in the shape of a Tibetan Buddhist monk's hat. The pattern is the traditional Chinese dragon piercing the hydrangea. It is a reflection of the fusion of Chinese and Tibetan cultures." Li Xuelei said that this The exhibition displays many imperial porcelains with ethnic minority styles, as well as many metal utensils and decorations from Central and Western Asia brought back by Zheng He from his voyages to the West. The Arabic, Persian and Sanskrit characters on the imperial porcelain reflect the national characteristics of that time. Exchanges with other countries are witnesses of the blending of diverse cultures.
On February 27, "The Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty, the colorful dragon-pierced monk's hat pot" was on display at the "Return of Imperial Porcelain" exhibition.
Photo by Liu Siwei
"The last emperor Puyi once asked John Johnston, an Englishman, to be his teacher, and he gradually accepted some Western-style lifestyles. At that time, Jingdezhen fired a complete set of porcelain Western tableware according to his needs." Li Xuelei said that during the Ming and Qing Dynasties, foreign culture The constant collision with local culture has created new sparks, which has also become a constant source of creative inspiration for Jingdezhen Royal Kiln.
The imperial kiln has a strict selection system and standardized process. This exhibit could not be presented to the imperial kiln because the five-clawed dragon was painted with six claws.
Photo by Liu Siwei
In the exhibition, in addition to exquisite finished porcelain, some fragments of porcelain that cannot be released due to defects also tell the story of imperial porcelain.
"The shape and color of this artifact are very good, but because the five-clawed dragon was painted with six claws, it could not be presented to the emperor. Any minor errors like this are not acceptable." According to Li Xuelei, the Ming and Qing Dynasties Imperial kilns had strict regulations on dragon patterns, especially in the early and mid-Ming Dynasties. Dragon patterns were only allowed for royal use, while five-clawed dragons were only for emperors. Due to the strict selection system and standardized process of imperial kilns, they were eliminated in the early and mid-Ming Dynasty. The products were broken into pieces and buried on the spot to prevent them from flowing into the public.
Since its establishment in the early Ming Dynasty, more than 600 years have passed. Today, there are still many broken porcelain pieces buried under the Jingdezhen Imperial Kiln Factory that cannot be entered into the palace.
With the establishment of the Ancient Ceramics Gene Bank at the Jingdezhen Royal Kiln Museum, thousands of porcelain pieces have a new mission and are welcoming batches of tourists to discover the civilization stories of ancient ceramics.
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