Blue and white porcelain was extremely popular in China during the Ming and Qing periods and was made using a blue cobalt oxide to create designs on clay coated in white and covered with a transparent glaze kiln baked at a high temperature. Porcelain jar walls were made impermeable to assure they would not be penetrated by liquid. The kiln reached temperatures high enough to change its porous clay body, make it impenetrable and convert it into a vitrified, glass-like substance. The white body was left unglazed at the top and the translucence of the glaze under which the piece has been painted with cobalt blue designs makes the designs very clear. By the Qing dynasty, every day utilitarian blue and white porcelains including tea wares, pouring vessels, small containers, scholars objects, were produced, and we offer many interesting and affordable pieces in our collection.
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This charming miniature ewer or small pitcher was made during the Tongzhi Period 1856-1875) and used to pour soy sauce, oils or other liquids. The spout and handle are elegantly curved and thick cobalt blue designs are set on a spotted grey ground with a chrysanthemum on each side and abstract plantain curved vertical leaf…
Chrysanthemum and bindweed decorative motifs are often used deigns on surfaces of underglaze cobalt blue and white porcelains, were especially popular in the 1860s – 1880s during the Tongzhi period and appear on both domestic and export ceramic pieces. Since bindweed grows wrapped around pine trees, it is a symbol of the close attachments formed…
Scenes with landscapes, distant mountains, bodies of water and architectural structures in nature are common subjects in the Chinese aesthetic and closely related to the scholar’s beliefs and their way of life that includes Four Scholarly Pursuits (siyi) and Four Treasures of the Scholar’s Studio. The three main Chinese belief systems of Taoism, Confucianism and…
Chinese have historically used various materials for making pillows including stone, jade or wood, but long ago ceramic porcelain and earthenware became the primarily used material. Initially for sleep, ceramic ones were also used as opium pillows. Ceramic pillows were made in many forms and shapes but primarily to cradle the neck. In the winter…
Blue and White porcelain was first made in China during the Yuan dynasty and its production increased during the Ming and Qing dynasties. Before that, ceramics fired at lower temperatures were every day functional-and-utilitarian pieces using inexpensive clays and colors made in quantities for the poor. Because porcelain was superior to other ceramics, a huge…
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