Yuan blue-and-white porcelain was produced in Jingdezhen during the Yuan Dynasty and represented a transition from single-color to multi-color ceramics. It combined influences from nomadic, Chinese, Islamic, and Western cultures. Characteristics included imported cobalt producing brighter blue colors; complex, multi-layered decoration; and large sizes inspired by Persian styles. Yuan established institutions helped promote production. Only around 400 pieces still exist today, making Yuan blue-and-white porcelain rare and highly valuable from artistic and historical perspectives.

1. 元青花
Yuan Blue-and-White
Porcelain (Qing-hua)
戴雅潔 Grace DAI
哈佛历史俱乐部讲演稿

2. CONTENT
I General Development of
Chinese Porcelain
II Significance of Yuan
Qing-hua
III Overview of Yuan
Qing-hua
IV Basics of Qing-hua
V Historical Background
VI Unique Characteristics
VII Identification/Appraisal
Standards
VIII Case analysis

3. Part I
General Development of Chinese Porcelain

4. 贰 Brief History of Chinese Porcelain
壹 Definition of Porcelain

5. PORCELAIN
A ceramic material made by heating materials,
generally including clay in the form of kaolin, in a kiln
to temperatures between 1,200
o
C (2,192
o
F) and 1,400
o
C (2,552
o
F).
Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same
lump, to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto
dishonour? ——Bible, Romans
1.1 Definition of Porcelain

6. Chinese earliest pottery, around 10,000 years
ago
Celadon, Han Dynasty (202 B.C. – 220 A.D.)
Blanc de Chine, Northern Wei Dynasty
(386 - 535 A.D.)
Five famous kilns, Song Dynasty
(960 – 1279 A.D.)
Three colors to Five colors, Ming
Dynasty (1368 – 1644 A.D.)
Famille rose( Late Kangxi) and Enamel
( Yongzheng), Qing Dynasty (1644 – 1911A.D.)
1.2 History of Chinese Porcelain
Blue-and-white porcelain
(Qing-hua), Yuan Dynasty
(1279 – 1368 A.D.)

7. Part II
Significance of Yuan Qing-hua procelain

8. 贰
Values: artistic, historical and
market value
壹
Open a new era in the transition
from bisque(single color) to
faience(multi-color)
叁
Fills in a previously unknown gap
in art history of Chinese ceramics

9. Yuan dynasty was the first time when two-color ceramics emerged
2.1 Open a new era in the transition from bisque to faience

10.  Artistic: aesthetic value. With the appearance of
Qing-hua, the aesthetics of porcelain greatly
expanded
 Historical: reflection of amalgamation and
commercial trade in a multi-national society
 Art market: most sought-after for private
collection and investment; highly regarded by
historians and collectors
2.2 Great value: artistic, history and market value

11.  Character pattern jar, 15.688 million pounds, Christie’s London,
Giuseppe Eskenazi collection, July 12th, 2005
 ‘Pilgrim’ flask, 5.8315 million dollars, Doyle Auction NYC, F.
Gordon Morrill collection, Sep 16th, 2003
2.2 Great value: artistic, history and market value

12.  Originally, porcelain was attributed to the Ming dynasty until
the existence of dated Yuan Qing-hua was found in
Percival David’s private collection (Percival David Foundation
of Chinese Art), a pair of elephant eared, dragon ornamental
large bottles, marked Zhizheng 11 (1351A.D.)
 There was no research in this field until Dr. John Pope’s study
in 1950s
2.3 Fills in a previously unknown gap in art history
“Fourteenth Century Blue-and-White: A Group of Chinese Porcelain
in the Topukapu Sarayi Muzesi, Istanbul” (1952)
“Chinese Porcelain from Ardebil Shrine” (1956)

13. Part III
Overview of Yuan Qing-hua

15. Part IV
Yuan Qing-hua
The Basics

16. 叁 Locations
贰 Categories
壹 Definition
肆 Types
伍 Significance

17. 4.1 Definition
DEFINITION
Yuan Qing-hua
元青花
Key words: Blue-and-white
porcelain, handmade, made
in Jing De Zhen, China

18. Jingdezhen: Porcelain Capital
For 1700 years it has been producing
quality pottery.
"Allegedly, Jingdezhen gave birth to
the English name of the country. The
ancient name of the town is
Changnan.... Way back in time,
Changnan was synonymous with
ceramics, and over time, foreign
ceramics traders made the name sound
like ‘china’. The rest is history.“ ——
Wings of China

19. 4.2 Categories
CATEGORIES
 Refined
made from imported cobalt from Iran （ smalt), for
privileged class use and was exported,
from Guan Yao, Fuliang Bureau , Jing de zhen
 Common
made from domestic cobalt, with darker color, for folk
class use, from Min Yao,
e. g., Yuxi, Yunnan Province, with green and blue
cobalt

20. 4.3 Locations
LOCATIONS
 Total count
About 400 pieces
globally: China (120+),
Iran (200+), Turkey,
Iraq, UK and the USA
0
50
100
150
200

21. 4.4 Types
TYPES
 Patterns with human figures, very rare, fewer than 20
pieces in existence
 Patterns without human figures, more common, including
ocean waves, dragon, flower, fish patterns and so on

22. SIGNIFICANCE
 Combination of nomadic culture, traditional Chinese
civilization, religious culture and West Asian culture.
Yuan Dynasty was established by Mongolians. Mongolians led a
nomadic life on horses and used water containers for drinking. Vessels
that were blue and white has psychological appeal.
Song dynasty literati had painting skills with literature background,
used Chinese figures’ and Chinese culture stories as theme, Five-
Water-Ink painting method, expressed not only visual beauty but also
lively dynamics, that is full of charm.
Influenced by Islamic culture: has rich layers (7-8, from Islamic
culture), complex patterns, Islamic aesthetics, blue-and-white color,
meaning loyalty. Big size bowls, plates, flat bottles and high heel
bowls common in Persian life
4.5 Significance

23. SIGNIFICANCE
4.5 Significance

24. Part V
Historical Background

25. HISTORICAL
BACKGROUND
 Technical foundation: An already matured and established
porcelain making tradition for 2000 years, prior to Qing-hua
 Government promotion: Yuan central government set up a special
organization -- Fu Liang bureau (1278 A.D.) for artistic direction of
Yuan Qing-hua production
 Excellent painting skills: Song dynasty literati became skilled
painters because of the transition of social status
 Cobalt: a material named Smalt from Iran
 Transportation: Great Yuan Emperor established, the silk road
reopened, provided convenient transportation from China to Middle
and West Asia

26. HISTORICAL
BACKGROUND

27. Part VI
Unique Characteristics

28. Size: large
Weight: medium
Cobalt: imported
brighter color,
domestic darker
color
Decoration: full
and complex,
multi-layers
Color: blue and
white

30. Part VII
Identification/Appraisal Standards

31.  Raw martials, clay
as Kaolin
 Blue in white glaze
 Porosity
 Iron rust
 Fired-stone-red
color on bottom
 Tin-like light spot
 Wheel camber
lines on the body
 Color
 Size, shape
 Patterns
 Ornamentation
theme
Plus the characteristics mentioned
Professional service: Porcelain testing at
Oxford Authentication Ltd.

33. Part VIII
Case Analysis

34. 四
爱
图
梅
瓶
Four
Love
Figure
Plum
Vase

36. Thank You
Harvard History Club, Boston
05/23/2013