In the past, the study of Jingdezhen Ming Dynasty blue and white porcelain focused on the official kiln, and there was not much research on the blue and white of the folk kiln, especially the blue and white of the folk kiln in the early Ming Dynasty. First, it is generally believed that most of the early Ming Dynasty folk kiln blue and white are poorly made, and they are much inferior to the official kiln in terms of craftsmanship and art; second, there are very few utensils in the early Ming Dynasty that have a chronological age, and there is a lack of standard utensils for dating, and it is difficult to accurately break the blue and white in a period. So, are the blue and white porcelain bowls of the ming dynasty kiln really as bad as people think? What kind of era did these civilian objects shaped by the hands of craftsmen in the early Ming Dynasty have?
In recent years, people's research on jingdezhen kiln blue and white porcelain has been deepening, but from the exhibition and published materials, people have more eyes on those bottles, cans, stoves and other utensils that have a certain ornamental nature, and do not pay much attention to the huge number of bowls, plates, cups and other daily porcelain. However, judging from the results of the excavation survey of the two main sites of the folk kiln porcelain industry in Jingdezhen in the early and middle Ming Dynasty, the Hutian kiln and the Yaoli kiln, its main products are blue and white porcelain bowls, plates, cups and other daily utensils, of which various types of bowls are the most common.
In the early Ming Dynasty, the folk kiln lacked the standard of the broken generation, and did not have strict specifications like the official kiln ware, there were many workshops and kiln factories, even if the same kiln room between different kilns, the appearance of the products was not the same, this article took the Jingdezhen folk kiln blue and white bowl of the Ming Dynasty in the Jiangxi Provincial Museum collection in the Ming Dynasty as an example, for some collation and research, and made a preliminary discontinuation.
The overall impression of the blue and white bowl in the early Ming Dynasty is that the firing is relatively rough, there are not many fine ones, and the tire quality is coarser and thicker, especially the bowls in the Hongwu period, which are generally thick and heavy. In the early Ming Dynasty, the blue and white bowls were mostly sand bottoms, commonly with papillae or radial jumping knife marks, digging feet shallow and rough; the most common shape of the circle foot is that the inner wall is steep and straight, the outer wall is obliquely closed inward, and there are also two-sided oblique cutting; the foot end or flat cut, or the outer foot end is obliquely cut a knife, or the two sides are obliquely cut in the shape of "crucian carp back", in general, the pedicure develops from rough to fine, and the foot wall develops from thick to thin. Glaze bottoms began to appear during Xuande. The most common shape of the bowl is the skimming deep abdominal circle foot bowl, and the astringent circle left by the stacking in the heart of the bowl in Hongwu is common.
Common ornaments are tangled lotus pattern, cloud gas pattern, knotted hydrangea pattern. Generally speaking, these ornaments are painted on the outer wall of the bowl, a string pattern is painted on the inner edge of the bowl, the inner wall of the bowl is light and lightless, and the word "Fu" or "Shou" is often written in the blue and white double circle of the bowl heart, or a Sanskrit character. In addition, there are fish patterns, butterfly patterns, etc. The ornamentation adopts the technique of a stippling, the lines are smooth and free, and the thickness changes significantly.
The glaze is mostly grayish blue or grayish yellow, with small open pieces, and there are also glazed and moist ovoid cyan. The color of blue flowers is both gray-blue and even gray-black, and there are also brighter blues. In addition, there is a kind of product with external glaze and interior blue flower.
These analyses are only based on the collections of the Jiangxi Provincial Museum, and inevitably there will be limitations and one-sidedness. Generally speaking, it is difficult to specify the generation of folk kiln products without money recognition and no age and no stratigraphic relationship, as far as the Ming Dynasty kiln blue and white products are concerned, they are generally only judged as early Ming, "empty period", middle period, and late period, such accuracy is high, but it is inevitably too general. Here, the author tries to infer the specific era of a batch of blue and white porcelain hidden in the jiangxi provincial museum warehouse.
Cloud gas pattern class
Ming Hongwu Blue And White Cloud Pattern Bowl (Figure 1) Height 4 . 9 cm, caliber 13 . 8 cm, foot diameter 4.8 cm. Open slightly skimmed, shallow curved abdomen, short circle foot. The underfoot is unglazed, the dug foot is shallow, the foot wall is obliquely cut on both sides, and the end of the foot is "crucian carp back". The light in the bowl is light-free, and there is an astringent circle in the center of the bowl. The outer wall is decorated with cloud patterns. The glaze is bluish-gray and the blue-white is grayish-black.
Ming Hongwu blue and white cloud pattern bowl
Ming Hongwu- Yongle Qinghua Cloud Pattern Bowl (Figure 2) has a 6.5 cm diameter, a caliber of 14.3 cm, and a foot diameter of 6 cm. Skimming, deep abdomen, circle feet. The bottom foot is unglazed, and the circle foot is a steep and straight outer wall foot end of the inner wall, and the carcass is thick, and the bottom of the bowl is particularly thick. The inner rim of the bowl and the center of the bowl are each decorated with a blue and white string pattern, and the center of the bowl has a astringent circle. The upper part of the outer wall is decorated with two string patterns and cloud patterns, which are waved at will with the pen, and the dragon flying phoenix dances like a book with a sense of speed, and the thickness of the lines changes significantly. The glaze is shady yellow. The blue flowers are greyish blue, grayish-black in thickness, and have dark brown spots.
The cloud gas pattern is one of the most common ornaments in the early Ming Dynasty, especially in the Hongwu period. The composition of the cloud pattern in the Hongwu period is random and sloppy, and the composition of the cloud pattern in the Yongle Xuande period is fuller than before, and the painting is serious, but the painting method is a dot painting.
Ming Hongwu - Yongle Blue and Flower Cloud Pattern Bowl
Knots with hydrangea patterns
Ming Hongwu-Yongle blue and white knot with hydrangea pattern Fuzi bowl (Figure 3) is 7 cm high and 14.4 cm in diameter. Skimming, deep abdomen, circle feet. The inner wall of the circle foot is straight, the outer wall is slightly adducted, and the bottom foot is unglazed, with obvious radial jump knife marks. The inner mouth of the bowl is decorated with a string pattern, and the cursive character "Fu" is written in the blue and white double circle of the bowl heart. The upper part of the outer wall is decorated with hydrangea patterns and string patterns, and the painting method and layout of the hydrangea pattern are quite similar to the cloud pattern, and the near bottom is decorated with a week of string patterns, and the decoration is sloppy and arbitrary. The glaze is shaded yellow, with fine open flakes that are naturally formed over time. The blue flowers are grayish black.
Ming Hongwu - Yongle blue and white knot with hydrangea pattern Fuzi bowl
Ming Yongle blue and white knot with hydrangea pattern Sanskrit bowl (fig. 4) is 6.8 cm high, 15.2 cm in diameter and 6.2 cm in diameter. Skimming folds, deep abdomen, circle foot, circle foot straight, outer wall obliquely closed inward, outer foot tip obliquely cut, circle foot inside the unglazed, the bottom can be seen in the radial jump knife marks. The mouth is glazed with sauce, and the blue and white double circle of the bowl is written in Sanskrit. The outer wall of the bowl is decorated with a hydrangea pattern, which is like a money pattern and is worn squarely inside. The ornamentation uses a dot painting, and the brush is smooth. The glaze is grayish yellow with fine stripes. The blue flowers are grayish black.
a. Ming Yongle blue and white knot with hydrangea pattern Sanskrit bowl
b. Ming Yongle blue and white knot with hydrangea pattern Sanskrit bowl heart
Ming Yongle blue and white knot with hydrangea shouzi bowl (Fig. 5) is 6.5 cm high, 14.2 cm in diameter and 6 cm in diameter. Skimming, curved abdomen, circle foot, dug foot but shoulder, bottom foot unglazed, with a papilloma in the center. Bowl heart cursive a "shou" character, the outer wall decoration knot with hydrangea pattern, hydrangea painting method is more unique, for a circle in the middle of the drawing of several straight lines, knot belt in the lower end of the hydrangea with double lines drawn into a continuous arc, and the common knot with hydrangea pattern is different. The glaze is dark oval cyan and the blue flowers are grayish blue. The carcass is lighter than the bowl carcass in Hongwu.
Ming Yongle before and after the blue and white knot with hydrangea shouzi bowl
Ming Xuande blue and white knot with hydrangea pattern Fuzi bowl (Figure 6) is 6.8 cm high, 14.3 cm in diameter and 8 cm in diameter. Skimmed, deep abdomen, circled feet, thin foot walls, flat glaze bottom, with very small nipples. The inner mouth is decorated with a string pattern, and the blue and white double circle of the bowl heart is lined with the word "Fu". The outer wall is decorated with a hydrangea pattern and a string pattern, a hydrangea-shaped pattern like a money pattern and a little ornamentation, and a floral pattern at the knot. The glaze is ovate-blue with an open stripe. The blue flowers are indigo in color. The knotted hydrangea pattern was widely used on the blue and white ware of the early Ming Dynasty, and the emergence and popularity of this ornament was related to the brushwork of a dot painting at that time, especially the use of a large number of circular arcs, so that the ornamentation had the tendency of informality and flying dragons and phoenixes. People often confuse the knotted hydrangea pattern of Hongwu with the cloud pattern. The hydrangea with hydrangea pattern of Yongle knot is either a rotating arc or an ancient money pattern, the inner wall is multi-glossy and unprinted, the mouth edge is glazed with sauce, and the bowl heart has more text. The knot joints of Xuande knots with hydrangea patterns are decorated with floral patterns, and the bowl heart is mostly written with the word "Fu".
a. Ming Xuande blue and white knot with hydrangea pattern Fuzi bowl
b. Ming Xuande blue and white knot with hydrangea pattern Fu zi bowl heart
Tangled lotus veins
Ming Hongwu Blue and White Tangled Lotus Pattern Fuzi Bowl (Figure 7) is 5.9 cm high, 12.2 cm in diameter and 5 cm in diameter. Skimming, curved abdomen, circle foot, basal foot unglazed, rounded fossa, with obvious spin marks and papillae. The inner mouth is decorated with a string pattern, the bowl heart blue and white double circle inside the cursive "Fu" character, the outer mouth edge and the lower abdomen are decorated with one and two string patterns, the string pattern is painted in a freehand way, the flowers are slender, like cirrus clouds, the petals are long, and there are more intense blue and white dots at the buds. The glaze is moist and watery, and the blue and white are bright.
Ming Hongwu blue and white tangled branches lotus pattern Fuzi bowl
The Ming Yongle Blue and White Lotus Pattern Sanskrit Bowl (Figure 8) is 6.6 cm high, 14.8 cm in diameter and 6 cm in diameter. Skimming, curved abdomen, circle foot, bottom foot without glaze, circle foot inner wall is straighter, outer wall obliquely cut inward, tire trimming is not refined, sticky sand grains. The inner rim is decorated with a string pattern, and the bowl heart double circle interior is sanskrit. The outer wall is painted with a tangled lotus pattern, the lotus flower is swirling, and the lotus petals are slightly decorated on the top, left and right sides of the flower, and the branches and leaves are small and sparse. The glaze is ovoid blue, with a slight grayish tinge in blue and blue.
a. Ming Yongle blue and white tangled lotus pattern Sanskrit bowl
b. Ming Yongle blue and white tangled branches lotus pattern Sanskrit bowl heart
Ming Yongle - Xuande Blue and White Tangled Lotus Pattern Fuzi Bowl (Figure 9) 6.8 cm high, caliber 14 . 7 cm, foot diameter 5 . 7 cm. Skimming, deep abdomen, circle foot, unglazed bottom foot, with a small papillae in the center, the circle foot is shorter, the inner rotation is clean, the outer wall is obliquely cut inward, and the end of the foot is flat. The inner mouth of the bowl is decorated with a string pattern, varying in thickness and thickness, and has broken lines. The cursive character "Fu" in the double circle of the bowl heart blue and white, the outer wall is decorated with tangled branches and lotus patterns, some of the flowers are swirling, some are shell snail-shaped, the painting method is arbitrary and eclectic, and the branches and leaves are like birds. The glaze is ovoid blue and the blue-gray blue-gray. The carcass is heavier.
Ming Yongle - Xuande blue and white tangled lotus pattern Fuzi bowl
Ming Xuande Blue and White Tangled Lotus Pattern Fuzi Bowl (Figure 10) is 6 cm high, 12.7 cm in diameter and 4.8 cm in diameter. Skimming, curved abdomen, circle foot, unglazed base foot, with papillae. The inner mouth is decorated with a string pattern, the bowl heart blue and white double circle is decorated with the word "Fu" in the inner circle, and the outer wall is decorated with a tangled lotus pattern, which is like a flame. The glaze is fat and dark ovate blue, and the blue flowers are blue and slightly gray.
Ming Xuande blue and white tangled branches lotus pattern Fuzi bowl
Ming Xuande - Orthodox blue and white tangled lotus pattern Fuzi Bowl (Figure 11) is 7.4 cm high, 14.7 cm in diameter and 5.9 cm in diameter. Skimming, deep abdomen, circle foot, flat glaze on the bottom surface, obliquely closed inward on the outer wall of the circle foot, unglazed flat cut at the end of the foot, and clean foot trimming. The inner mouth is decorated with two string patterns, and the word "Fu" is written in the blue and white double circle of the bowl heart, and the font is standardized. The outer wall is decorated with lotus patterns, and the painting method of lotus flowers has developed in the direction of realism, and the flower shape is clearer than before. The enamel is moist and ovate in color, with elongated open patches. The blue flowers are rich in color and have dark brown rust marks in the depths.
The tangled lotus pattern in Hongwu is mainly freehand, and there is less depiction of the details of the petals, and the pen stretches casually, giving people a pleasing feeling. The painting method of Yongle and Xuande Tangled Lotus Flowers is obviously different from that of Hongwu, and the flowers are pointed and round like flames, or like swirls. Generally speaking, the bowl heart decorated with tangled lotus pattern bowls is mostly written with the character "Fu", hongwu time more cursive writing, Yongle time font more, to Xuande time is generally a lishu.
Ming Xuande - Orthodox blue and white tangled lotus pattern Fuzi bowl
Fish butterfly pattern
Ming Hongwu blue and white fish pattern bowl (Figure 12) is 6 cm high, 14 cm in diameter and 5 cm in diameter. Skimming, curved abdomen, circle foot, unglazed inside the circle foot, the inner wall of the circle foot is straighter, the outer wall foot end is rotated inward, the digging foot is shallow and rough, and there is an astringent circle on the inside of the bowl. The inner edge of the bowl has a string pattern on the bottom edge, the outer wall is painted with 4 blue and white fish patterns with different looks at the near edge, and the near bottom foot is decorated with 3 string patterns. The glaze is white with a bluish gray, and the glaze layer is thin and bright, resembling a blue-white glaze. The cyan color is dark indigo. The carcass, in particular, is thicker at the bottom.
Ming Hongwu blue and white fish pattern bowl
The Ming Yongle-Xuande Blue and White Fish Pattern Bowl (Figure 13) is 6.4 cm high, 15 cm in diameter and 6.7 cm in diameter. Skimming, curved abdomen, circle foot, bottom brush with a layer of tire guard glaze and glaze spots, circle foot sticky sand, bottom with small papillae. The inner mouth is decorated with a string pattern, the bowl heart blue and white double circle is painted with a fish, the outer wall mouth edge and bottom are decorated with a string pattern, and the abdomen is painted with 4 fish patterns, and there are dark water ripples. The glaze is ovate-cyan and has open patches and many glaze reduction points. The blue flowers are indigo blue.
Ming Yongle - Xuande blue and white fish pattern bowl
Ming Yongle - Xuande blue and white butterfly pattern bowl (Figure 14) height 6. 3 cm, caliber 12 cm, foot diameter 4.6 cm. The mouth is slightly constricted, deep abdomen, circled feet, the bottom foot is unglazed, rounded, the foot wall is thick, and the papillae are obvious. The inner mouth is decorated with two string patterns, the bowl heart blue and white double circle is painted with a butterfly, the outer mouth is decorated with spiral patterns and arc patterns, the arc is decorated with short lines, the abdomen is painted with 4 butterflies, and the near bottom foot is decorated with 3 string patterns, the composition is sparse, and the butterfly is painted in a dashing and simple way. The glazed white is bluish gray and covered with tiny open pieces. Blue and gray blue. Fish and butterfly patterns are also one of the patterns of the early Ming Dynasty, but they are far less common than the above three ornaments.
Ming Yongle - Xuande blue and white butterfly pattern bowl
Outer glaze inner blue flowers
Ming Yongle-Xuande outer glaze inner blue and white Fuzi bowl (Figure 15) is 6.3 cm high, 15.3 cm in diameter and 5.8 cm in diameter. Skimming, curved abdomen, circle foot, bottom foot without glaze, circle foot inner wall is straighter, outer wall inward spiral cut, foot end flat cut, bottom center has obvious radial jump knife marks. The inner mouth is decorated with a string pattern, the bowl heart blue and white double circle inside the grass seal "Fu" character, the mouth edge is decorated with sauce glaze, the outer wall is decorated with blue glaze, and the inner wall glaze is dark oval blue. Blue and blue with a slight grayish tinge.
Ming Yongle - Xuande outer glaze inner blue and white Fuzi bowl
Ming Xuande - Orthodox outer glaze inner blue flower moon pattern bowl (Fig. 16) is 7.5 cm high, 14.5 cm in diameter and 5.7 cm in diameter. Skimming, deep abdomen, circle foot, circle foot obliquely closed inward, digging foot has been over the shoulder, glaze bottom flat. The inner mouth is along a string pattern, and the bowl heart blue and white double circle interior moon pattern. The outer wall of the bowl is glazed with green glaze, and the inside and bottom of the bowl are glazed with white glaze.
a. Ming Xuande - Orthodox outer glaze inner blue flower moon pattern bowl
b. Ming Xuande - Orthodox outer blue glaze inner blue flower moon pattern bowl heart