The World's Most Beautiful China

The porcelain from the Ming Dynasty of China, which ruled from 1368 to 1644 CE, benefitted from the immense economic success of the 15th century. Famous for its cobalt blue and white designs, Ming ceramics have become some of the most highly-prized and valuable on the planet.
 

Fine ceramics were in high demand in this period of relative wealth and abundance during the Ming era. Produced in towns like Jingdezhen in Jiangxi province, the designs and craftsmanship would have an influence in countries around the world, especially Japan and Britain. 

Porcelain is one of a number of different types of pottery but usually considered more valuable because of its smooth surfaces and translucent whiteness. During the Ming era it was developed to new levels of perfection and combined with the traditional Chinese arts of painting and calligraphy. 

The classic blue and white aesthetic was the most in demand, using cobalt oxide sourced from Central Asia and covered in a glaze called Yingqing. Other colours were available, using copper to achieve a red/orange sheen. Designs were initially very floral and ornate but from the 15th century onwards they became more restrained, featuring open landscapes and simple animal motifs.

However, the real blow for Chinese porcelain came in the late 17th and 18th centuries when the secrets of fine porcelain manufacture were discovered in Europe. But, without doubt, it was the Chinese, and the Ming Dynasty in particular, that really captured the world’s imagination. So much so, that all fine and bone-hard porcelain came to be known simply as ‘china’.

A 15th century Ming vase sold at auction in Hong Kong in 2011 for an incredible $22.6 million, making it one of the most expensive pieces of porcelain ever made. However, a vase from the later Qing Dynasty (1644 – 1911) sold in the UK for more than $83 million, proving there was life after the Ming for Chinese pottery.