Vase with design of dragons amid clouds

Imperial Arts of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, 1368–1911

After the Yuan dynasty, a century of rule by the non-Han Chinese Mongols, the Ming dynasty emperors made a concerted effort to revive and exalt ethnic Chinese culture. Through luxurious displays of imperial pageantry, the Ming sought to enhance their power and establish their right to rule.

Court patronage of the arts again flourished and expanded to include lacquer, bamboo, and other materials. Objects often bore symbols of harmony, blessings, and wealth as a means of reaffirming the legitimacy of the reigning emperor and attracting blessings to the court. Technological developments in surface decoration led to a vast visual language of symbols that evoked specific meanings; these symbolic elements took precedence over shapes and glazes. Though the ceramic industry was firmly concentrated in the remote town of Jingdezhen (anchored there because of the supply of raw materials needed to make fine porcelain), the court controlled part of the production. Ming rulers specified designs and commissioned vast quantities for both ritual and secular use.