Ming Chenghua period porcelain existing number of mystery: rare and heritage of the intertwined
- In the history of Chinese ceramics, porcelain from the Chenghua period of the Ming Dynasty (1465-1487) is regarded as “the best of porcelain” for its exquisite craftsmanship and unique artistic style.
- However, with the passage of time, the number of surviving Chenghua porcelain has become the focus of attention of many collectors and scholars.
- How many of these porcelains exist? How rare they are? This article will be from the historical background, process characteristics, the number of extant and other perspectives, to take you to find out.
Chenghua porcelain is the porcelain fired in the official kilns of Jingdezhen during the Chenghua period (1465-1487) of the Ming Dynasty, and is known for its light and thin body, warm glaze, and fine painting. In particular, Chenghua doucai porcelain is regarded as the pinnacle of Chinese ceramic history.
Chenghua porcelain historical background and artistic value
- Chenghua years, the reign of Emperor Zhu Xianzong, this period of relative political stability, economic prosperity, porcelain production provides a good social environment. Chenghua porcelains are famous for their delicate texture, elegant shapes and unique decoration of blue and white flowers and doucai. In particular, the Chenghua Doucai Chicken Jar Cup, known as “the king of porcelain”, has reached the peak of its artistic value and economic value.
- Chenghua porcelain production process is extremely complex, the glaze is warm and moist like jade, blue and white hair color is elegant, fighting color technique is a new era of porcelain decoration. These characteristics make the Chenghua porcelain in the Ming and Qing dynasties has been highly respected, become the royal family and the literati to collect treasures.
Survival of Chenghua Porcelain: Rarity and Scarcity
Despite the undisputed artistic value of Chenghua porcelain, the number of survivors is extremely limited. According to statistics, there are less than a hundred pieces of Chenghua porcelain recognized as authentic globally, most of which are in the hands of major museums and private collectors around the world. This scarcity makes the Chenghua porcelain in the auction market repeatedly hit the sky, become the collection of “favorite”.
Chenghua porcelain scarcity mainly stems from the following aspects:
Historical reasons: Chenghua years, although the porcelain production skills, but production is not high, and more for the court, private circulation is very little. Coupled with war, fire and other historical events, many porcelain in the long history of damage or loss.
Difficulty: the production process of Chenghua porcelain is extremely complex, especially the Doucai technique, which requires multiple firings, the rate of finished products is extremely low. Even the best craftsmen at that time, it is difficult to ensure that every piece of work is flawless.
Flood of imitations: since the Ming and Qing dynasties, Chenghua porcelain imitations are endless, and many imitations have even reached the degree of fake to real. This not only increases the difficulty of authentication, but also makes the number of authentic more difficult to count.
Chenghua porcelain identification and collection
- Because of the rarity and high value of Chenghua porcelain, its identification and collection has become an extremely professional study. Identification of Chenghua porcelain need to be from the tire quality, glaze, decoration, mark and other aspects of a comprehensive consideration. For example, Chenghua porcelain tire delicate white, glaze warm and moist as jade, blue hair color elegant, doucai decoration levels. In addition, Chenghua ceramics for the “Ming Chenghua year system” six characters in regular script, font neat, smooth strokes.
A vase with rounded shape is like a frozen artistic poem. - For collectors, Chenghua porcelain is not only a work of art, but also a witness to history. Each piece of Chenghua porcelain carries the splendor of the Ming dynasty court and the wisdom of the craftsmen, has a very high historical, cultural and artistic value. Therefore, the collection of Chenghua porcelain not only requires strong financial resources, but also requires deep cultural heritage and professional knowledge.
Market Performance and Future Trends of Chenghua Porcelain
- In recent years, with the booming of the Chinese art market, the performance of Chenghua porcelain in the auction market is particularly eye-catching. 2014, a Chenghua doucai chicken jar cup in Hong Kong Sotheby’s auction sold at a record price of 280 million Hong Kong dollars, the highest record of Chinese porcelain auction. This event not only reaffirmed the rarity and high value of Chenghua porcelain, but also triggered widespread attention to Chenghua porcelain in the global collection community.
- Looking ahead, with the continued growth of China’s economy and the maturation of the art market, the market value of Chenghua porcelain is expected to further increase. However, due to its extremely limited number of survivors, the scarcity of Chenghua porcelain will exist for a long time, become the collection of eternal “treasures”.
In the process of exploring the number of surviving Chenghua porcelain, we not only feel the weight of history and the charm of art, but also deeply appreciate the importance of inheritance and protection. Each piece of Chenghua porcelain is a treasure of Chinese civilization, worthy of our heart to cherish and inheritance.