Blue & White Porcelain 15th Century Ming Dynasty Chenghua Large Figure Jar (WORLD CLASS) Joseph.Sharon@chinesemasterpieces.com
This is a wonderful very large blue and white Ming Dynasty Chenghua Imperial mark and period Figure Jar. This Jar is decorated with several bands and the main band is Figure story. This unusual Jar is very large for Chenghua wares. The Chenghua period was from 1465 - 1487. It has the six Character Chenghua mark written in the second band. Check your auction catalogs,books, and look in museums, online you won't find a Larger Chenghua Jar published anywhere. The Jar has wonderful form, great color and is painted with loose freestyle strokes that finest Chenghua wares are known for. These blue and white wares are the most sought after blue and white wares that China ever produced. The beautiful cobalt used during this period makes them very easy to distinguish from other periods of Chinese blue and white wares. They have a distinct blackish tone from the imported cobalt that they used during that period and when the heaping and piling effect breaks the surface of the glaze it shows a silvery reflection, this imported cobalt called Samali blue, they believe came from Persia and they don't know where in Persia. They have not imported this cobalt for over 500 years. During the Chenghua period they also used a local cobalt called Pitang. The imported cobalt was known to run and they would stabilize it by mixing them together. Depending on the mix it would give very refined colors. In Chenghua wares they painted fine outlines and filled them in with a broad brush using loose free style strokes. They refined the clay better than any previous period and with their high firing kilns this often caused them to look burnt or mottled as on the bottom of this vase This glaze is easy to distinguish it is very fine, and has tiny even bubbles this can be seen using a loupe. It doesn't get better than true Imperial blue and white Chenghua wares. approx. 26 " tall
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