Treasures of Ming Dynasty go on show
Jointly organised by Hong Kong Palace Museum with the Palace Museum in Beijing
Opening this week, Hong Kong Palace Museum celebrates its second anniversary with a special exhibition Brilliance: Ming Dynasty Ceramics Treasures from the Palace Museum, 1368-1644 showcasing the development and achievement of Ming Dynasty ceramics including treasures on loan from the Palace Museum in Beijing alongside works from Hong Kong Palace Museum’s own collection. The exhibition opens to the public on 10 July 2024.
Ceramics are among the largest categories of treasures in the Palace Museum collection which currently number more than 1.86 million items. The works are mainly inherited from the imperial collections of the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644 – 1911) dynasties.
The Ming dynasty was a golden age of Chinese ceramics. Ming dynasty ceramics are remarkable works of art, distinguished by their quality and diversity. They tell stories of the imperial court, technological advances, and cultural exchanges. Imperial kilns were founded at Jingdezhen in Jiangxi province in 1369 to produce pieces for the exclusive use by the court, which imposed strict control over the management of the kilns. As a result of imperial patronage, Ming emperors influenced porcelain production and style.
Ming potters, continuing the legacy of their predecessors, perfected their craft and sought to break new ground. As powerful vehicles of cultural exchange, Ming ceramics were widely traded, admired, and copied, generating a craze for Chinese porcelains around the globe.
Brilliance features 106 masterpieces from the Palace Museum, most on display in Hong Kong for the first time and shown alongside seven pieces from the Hong Kong collection.
Among them are national treasures, including a pear-shaped vase with a “Three Friends of Winter” decoration from the Hongwu period, a dish with dragons among waves from the Zhengtong period, a cup with garden scenes in autumn from the Chenghua period, and a garlic-mouth bottle with birds and flowers among lotus ponds from the Wanli period. Organised in three sections, the exhibition explores the development and the outstanding achievements of ceramic production in form, glaze, and design in the early, mid-, and late Ming dynasty:
The early Ming dynasty (Hongwu to Xuande periods, 1368–1435) was the golden age of blue-and-white porcelain, which is known for its fine body and glaze, as well as intensely blue decorations. The Yongle and Xuande wares of monochrome copper red and cobalt blue also exemplified the sophistication of Ming ceramic technology. The elegant and subdued “sweet white” porcelains of the Yongle period were often compared to translucent and lustrous white jade.
During the mid-Ming dynasty (Zhengtong to Zhengde periods, 1436–1521), the ceramics displayed representative features, including enameled doucai wares as well as blue-and-white porcelains known for their subtle colours and delicate thin bodies during the Chenghua period. Monochrome wares with bright yellow enamel and porcelains with green-enameled designs were representative of the Hongzhi period. Thick-bodied blue-and-white wares with greyish-blue designs stood out during the Zhengde period
During the late Ming dynasty (Jiajing to Wanli periods, 1522–1620), the porcelain industry flourished at Jingdezhen and the folk kilns greatly expanded. Their porcelains became more diverse and inventive in form and design, and skilled artisans succeeded in firing impressively large vessels, despite their proneness to distortion. The late Ming also saw further development of the “five colour” technique. Porcelain designs became highly innovative and distinctive in the late Ming reflecting the influence of the emperors’ preferences.
For example, the Jiajing Emperor (1507– 1567) was a devout Daoist, and the wares made for his court were often adorned with Daoist symbols of longevity, including cranes and the eight trigrams. The Wanli Emperor (1563–1620) was a follower of Buddhism; many imperial wares produced during his reign bore lotuses, beaded garlands, and other Buddhist motifs.
Purchase tickets through West Kowloon Cultural District’s websites:
Hong Kong Palace Museum website: https://www.hkpm.org.hk/
West Kowloon Cultural District website: https://www.westkowloon.hk/
You might also like:Prepare the feet for sandal season with BEAUTYPRO
