ARTEFACTS TO TREASURE: 15th Century Chinese Ceramics from the Hongzhi Period

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

15th Century Chinese Ceramics from the Hongzhi Period

The blue-and-white porcelains exhibited here were made during the reign of Emperor Hongzhi, also known as the Hongzhi Silver Age. The ceramics date to the late fifteenth century (circa 1490, Mid-Ming Dynasty Era) with forms and decoration that are typical of the export wares of the period. The porcelains were made at Jingdezhen, the location of the Ming imperial porcelain factory.

This collection of blue-and-white porcelains is unique because they are similar to ones found in the "Lena Cargo" shipwreck and there arent many such finds of this type available publicly.