The Yongle Emperor, known as the "Great Emperor" in history, made an expedition to the north of the desert, built the Forbidden City, sent Zheng He to the West, and edited the Yongle Canon, which can be described as a martial art of Wenzhi. It also has its own strong pursuit and preference in art, especially in porcelain firing. The Records of Emperor Taizong of Ming once recorded that hui hui jie ya si entered the jade bowl, and was not allowed to go up, and the Ministry of Orders gave money to repatriate. Shang Shu Zheng Zhi said: "The Chinese porcelain used in the dawn of the day and night, pure and pure, is very suitable for the heart, and there is no need for this." ”
What exactly is the porcelain that made the Yongle Emperor very comfortable, during the Ming Dynasty, Wang Shimao proposed in his book "Eryou Wei Tan" that the porcelain of the Yongle period was "sweet and white as the common, Su Ma Liqing as the ornament, and bright red as the treasure". These three types of porcelain should represent the most favorite porcelain category in the heart of the Yongle Emperor.
Sweet white glazed porcelain was created and burned in the Yongle period, known as "white as gelatin, plain as snow". Yanjing was the old capital of the Yuan Dynasty, and white was the color admired by the Yuan Dynasty, so Zhu Di, who was the king of the domain here, was more or less influenced by the customs of the Yuan Dynasty and loved white porcelain.
Ming Yongle Sweet white glazed monk hat pot Shanghai Museum collection
Before the King of Yan launched the "Battle of Jingnan", Yao Guangxiao had proposed to give Zhu Di a "white hat", Zhu Di was the king of the domain, and the king added a white character to it, which was the imperial character, alluding to helping Zhu Di seize the throne. After that, Zhu Dijing was difficult to succeed, and he should also regard white as his lucky color.
Yongle sweet white glaze gives people a quiet and elegant artistic feeling as a whole, and the enamel is thick and very attractive.
With the passage of time, the Yongle Emperor's interest in firing red glaze gradually increased. First of all, the Ming Dynasty belongs to huode, and red is the national color of the Ming Dynasty, symbolizing the prosperity and permanence of the Zhuming Dynasty, and must be valued by the imperial family. Secondly, with the development of the Economy of the Ming Dynasty, the strengthening of national strength, the funds and technical support invested in the production of the Royal Kiln Factory are increasing, and the maturity of the porcelain-making process has made the most difficult to burn high-temperature copper red glaze finally emit a pure red in the Yongle period.
Ming Yongle Bright red glazed goblet Collection of the Palace Museum in Beijing
High-temperature red glaze is made of copper as a coloring agent, fired at high temperature in a reducing atmosphere, and is the most difficult color glaze porcelain to be fired due to the extremely high requirements for the firing temperature and the accuracy of the atmosphere. Yongle bright red glaze, with the pioneering status of red glazed porcelain, like ruby-like color, is highly sought after by future generations.
Ming Yongle Blue and White Banana Caryophyllum Jade Pot Spring Bottle Collection of the Palace Museum in Beijing
Yongle's blue and white porcelain, based on Su Ma Liqing as the material, its exotic style of shape, thick and bright color, otherworldly ornamentation, was praised by posterity as "the ancient has never been, the opening of a generation of wonders." "Su Ma Li Qing is a blue and white pigment with high iron content and low manganese content. The ornaments drawn with it often have a halo effect. Where the glaze is deposited, there are also black rust spots flickering in between. The overall picture is like a splash of ink landscape.
Ming Yongle Sweet white glaze plate
Size: diameter 18.9 cm
Ming Yongle bright red glaze plate
This disc is open, curved abdomen, circle foot. Copper red glaze is applied throughout, and the mouth edge is exposed to the white fetal bone due to the high temperature melting so that the red glaze hangs down, commonly known as the "lamp grass edge", and the sole of the foot is glazed with white glaze. The glaze color is bright and the shape is regular, which is the representative of Yongle bright red glazed porcelain.
Ming Yongle Blue and white folded branches melon fruit pattern large bowl
Dimensions: diameter 25.5cm, height 13cm
The surviving number of large Ming Dynasty Yongle blue and white bowls is very rare, and the decorative ornaments are usually depicted in the upper cobalt material. The outer wall of this large bowl is painted with folded branches persimmons, pomegranates, loquat and peach patterns, and a circle of tangled lotus patterns is drawn around the bowl center, and the bowl center is painted with double flat chrysanthemum patterns in the circle frame, which is very complex in decoration. The painting method of tangled lotus and four fruit patterns is smooth, and the painting of branches and leaf stems is free. The overall craftsmanship is exquisite, the color is bright, the ornament design is ingenious, the shape is dignified and atmospheric, and it is a masterpiece of Yongle blue and white porcelain.
Ming Yongle outer bright red glaze inner blue and white lotus pattern bowl
Dimensions: diameter 11.4cm, height 5.8cm
This piece of Yongle outer bright red glaze inner blue lotus pattern bowl luxuriant mouth, adduction below the mouth, the bottom is more plump, circle foot. The outer wall is bright red glaze, the inner wall mouth is decorated with curly grass patterns, and the inner double circle is painted with a lotus flower, and the blue flowers are rich in color, with obvious traces of cylindrical rust spots. The firing process of this bowl is extremely difficult, not only to ensure that the blue and white hair in the heart of the bowl is bright, but also to make the red glaze on the outer wall emit a bright red color. The optimal temperature of blue and white and copper red glaze firing is different, and it is necessary to have absolutely accurate control over the kiln temperature.
This bowl is a unique piece of art that has been passed down from generation to generation, and has not been found in the public and private collections that have been published, reflecting the peak level of porcelain making in the Imperial Kiln Factory during the Yongle period of the Ming Dynasty.