Ewer with a handle

The cultural influences informing the Yongle emperor and his circle were not solely Chinese. There is substantial evidence for the importance of Islamic art at his court. The success of Zheng He's exploration (see cat. no. 65) further encouraged the emperor's hopes of a rapprochement with other parts of the world. Foreign envoys who returned with Zheng He, bearing various tributes, particularly amazed the Yongle emperor. To better fulfill China's diplomatic missions, as well as to reap the benefits of trade, myriad Chinese products were prepared for Zheng He's fleets. The most valuable good that China could produce in mass quantities during this era was porcelain.
A 1988 excavation by archaeologists found ruin strata of early Ming-dynasty official kilns in Jingdezhen. Remains of large porcelain plates, bowls, and jars discovered in the Yongle-period stratum are now known to have been created as exports for Islamic markets. Never in the history of Chinese ceramic manufacture had as many foreigninspired forms taken shape as in the Yongle emperor's factories. Certain forms among these were even adopted for use in the imperial palaces and temples. One statistic suggests that nine out of twenty-one whiteglazed ceremonial types have forms originating in Islamic metalwork (Urban Council et al. 1989, pp. 22 – 23, pl. 1, 4 – 6, 8 – 9, 11, 13, 22).
Three of those nine types are represented by this group of water utensils from the Asian Art Museum collection, demonstrating the Yongle emperor's preference for the Islamic style. They share similarities in their precise potting, refined clay, and smooth glaze without air bubbles. Decorations were rendered in quality materials with precious cobalt imported from the Islamic world, producing distinctive color and luster.
Painted on the clay body, the cobalt, with its high iron and low magnesium content, turned to dark blue through glazing and firing, with irregular ferruginous strains where it had curdled. The decorative subjects on these three works combine motifs from different sources: the Chinese traditional meander and flowers, stylized arabesques of Islamic influence, and the Buddhist Eight Treasures and essential lotus.