Hong Kong Palace Museum | Brilliance: Ming Dynasty Ceramic Treasures from the Palace Museum, 1368-1644

3001. Dish with dragons among waves

The dragon has always been a symbol of the emperor in China.

The object in front of you is a dish with dragons among waves, produced by the imperial kilns at Jingdezhen during the Zhengtong period. There is a total of ten dragons on this dish. Can you find all of them?

On the central medallion is a strong and stout dragon with five claws. The blue dragon is leaping over a sea with white foams on the tips of roaring waves. The other nine dragons can be seen on the exterior of the dish, who are swirling in different postures among the red waves.

This kind of porcelain was decorated with a combination of underglaze cobalt blue and overglaze iron-red enamel. The blue colour on this dish is vivid, and the red colour is radiant. The colours of the pigments stood out as a result of meticulous control of temperature during the firing process.

© The Palace Museum

3002. Pear-shaped vase with “Three Friends of Winter”

This vase’s decoration features pine, bamboo and prunus. The neck was painted with patterns of banana leaves and key frets, while near the bottom are patterns of lotus petals and plant scrolls. The pine, bamboo and prunus together are known as the “Three Friends of Winter”. Because of their resilience that allows them to survive harsh winter conditions, they symbolise longevity, integrity and nobility.

Craftsmen of the Hongwu period of the Ming dynasty retained the underglaze copper-red technique of the Yuan dynasty. They used copper oxide as a colorant to paint on the surface of porcelain, coated it with a layer of transparent glaze, and then fired it at high temperature in a kiln. Due to the difficulty of firing red underglaze, the colour of the products was not always consistent. Many of them had a grey-black tone. However, the red colour of this vase is spectacularly pure and vibrant. The lines and patterns are also clear and sharp, making it one of the masterpieces of underglaze red wares produced by the imperial kilns at Jingdezhen in the early Ming dynasty.

© The Palace Museum

3003. Vase with lotus scrolls

Do you know that the colour of this vase in front of you has a special name? Literati in the late Ming dynasty called this type of white glaze “sweet white”, as its pure, smooth and shiny appearance evoke a sense of sweetness. “Sweet white” is a type of white glaze created by the imperial kilns at Jingdezhen of the Yongle period in the early Ming dynasty. Craftsmen took high-quality local clay and washed them meticulously to improve its whiteness and translucency after firing. The delicate and shiny “sweet white” porcelains were greatly adored by the Yongle Emperor.

This vase was finely decorated with three sets of lotus scroll patterns using thin lines. Some of the lotus flowers on the body are blooming, while the others are in bud. Engraved near the bottom were some broken flower branches. In addition to decorated vases like this one, there were also plain ones that were used as displays in the imperial palace.

In addition to vases, “sweet white” porcelain was also commonly used for bowls, dishes, small pots, and stem cups. “Sweet white” wares held great importance during the Yongle period. Not only were they for imperial use, but they are also used in offering rituals, bestowals, and diplomacies.

© The Palace Museum

3004. Dish with a lotus bouquet

This Dish with a lotus bouquet in front of you was made during the Yongle period, and is now one of Ming dynasty ceramic treasures in the Hong Kong Palace Museum’s collection. Encircled by floral scrolls, the central medallion was decorated with aquatic plants, such as lotus and seedpods, and are tied together by a ribbon. This pattern is called the “lotus bouquet”, one of the classic decorative motifs of the imperial kilns at Jingdezhen during the Yongle period.

Blue-and-white porcelains were not only used in the imperial palace, but also employed in diplomacy. Due to trade and other factors, similar wares can be found in collections in foreign regions such as Turkey and Iran.

© Hong Kong Palace Museum

3005. Globular vase with dragons among clouds

The globular vase in porcelain was an innovation of the imperial kilns at Jingdezhen during the early Ming dynasty, with a large, spherical body. The body of this vase before you was painted with dragons among clouds. Take a closer look and you will see that the dragon is strong and stout. It turns its gaze back while drifting among clouds. The majestic appearance communicates the identity and status of the vase’s user.

Smalt, the cobalt pigments used on this vase, were imported from Persia. The high iron content in the pigments brought about the saturated, vibrant blue colour. Dark blue flecks seen on the vase were formed during firing due to crystallisation.

From the vase’s pigments used, it can be seen that there were close exchanges between the Ming dynasty and Western Asia.

© The Palace Museum

3006. Cup with garden scenes in autumn

Doucai is a technique that has already reached maturity during the Chenghua period. This cup with garden scenes in autumn in front of you is one of the finest pieces of doucai. It has a thin and light body, and the colour is vibrant. On the exterior are paintings of rocks, flowers, and colourful dancing butterflies, vividly capturing the scene of an autumn courtyard. This type of cup is usually called sanqiubei. While the name literally translates as “three autumn cup”, meaning the three months of autumn, which is the typical length of the season.

Take a closer look at the purple butterflies on the cup. The glaze used on their wings is rich in colour and has a dry, matte surface. This shade of purple is called chazi, unique to doucai of the Chenghua period.

The doucai technique incorporated blue-and-white underglaze and colour overglaze, making its production work-intensive. For their exquisite colours and delicate bodies, doucai porcelains of the Chenghua period were highly regarded by literati and connoisseurs of the late Ming dynasty.

© The Palace Museum

3007. Beaker-shaped vase with dragons among flowers

This beaker-shaped vase with dragons among flowers in front of you was made during the Wanli period and is one of Ming dynasty ceramic treasures of the Hong Kong Palace Museum’s collection. These kinds of containers were originally made of bronze and used as wine vessels during the Shang and Zhou dynasties from 1600 BC to 256 BC. During the Ming dynasty, they were made of porcelain and mostly used as displays or ritual vessels for offering ceremonies.

This vase is slender in shape with a bulbous mid-section and a pair of animal ears on the neck. Extending from the mid-section to the base are six protruding ridges. Decorations on porcelains of the Wanli period were elaborated, a feature that can also be seen on this vase. Its neck, mid-section and base are decorated with slender dragons brought out by different flower and plant patterns. Floral patterns are also seen on the protruding ridges. This vase not only has elaborated decorative patterns, but is also relatively large in size, making the production of each piece a triumph.

© Hong Kong Palace Museum

3008. Dish with dragons and phoenixes among clouds

Look at this dish with dragons and phoenixes among clouds. Isn’t the colour really vibrant? During the Wanli period, the production of porcelains increased greatly. In addition to blue-and-white ones, different types of painted porcelains were also popular. Among them, wucai was the most renowned. Wucai literally means five colours, but it actually refers to a greater variety of colours. Wucai porcelains were known for their vibrant colours, and the production required intricate procedures.

Wucai porcelains are created by applying red, green, yellow, purple, black, blue, and other glazes on white porcelains that were fired at high temperature, or on partially painted blue-and-white porcelains. After applying various glazes, the porcelains are fired again at low temperature.

This dish with dragons and phoenixes among clouds in front of you is mainly decorated with red, yellow, green, and blue glazes. At the central medallion is a dragon and a phoenix dancing in auspicious clouds. The dragon appears majestic and mighty, and the phoenix appears agile and lively. Encircling this pattern are two dragons and four phoenixes of different colours, separated by cloud patterns.

© The Palace Museum

3009. Architectural fitting in shape of dragon

This huge dragon-shaped object is an architectural fitting used on the roof of the imperial palace. The fitting in front of you was made of liuli, a kind of lead-glazed ceramic fired at low temperature. It was mainly painted with three colours: blue, yellow, and green. The dragon with a curvy body stands on its four feet on rolling waves, creating a form that is lively and dynamic.

These kinds of architectural fittings are typically installed on both ends of the ridge of the palace’s roof, where the ridge and the verges meet. The structure of these junctions tends to be weaker and more prone to water leakage. Placing them at these junctions helps to reinforce the structure and seal potential leaky holes for waterproofing. In addition to serving these functions, the fittings also have a distinctive design that represents the architecture’s nature and the status of the occupant.

© The Palace Museum