Plate with design of dragons, citrons, and pomegranates

Multicolor Decoration

Porcelain wares with multicolor decoration reached the height of artistic and technical achievement during the Ming dynasty (1368–1644). Several color combinations—with pigments applied either in underglaze or in colorful overglaze enamels—flourished through the Qing dynasty (1644–1911).

Multicolor, or “five colors” (wucai), decoration is a term applied to the combination of blue underglaze with three or more overglaze colors. The colors are applied in equal proportions; thus, no single color dominates and a balanced decoration is achieved. During the Ming dynasty, artists developed an unprecedented decorative scheme in which two or more colors were used in combination; this is sometimes called “three colors” (sancai) decoration. Pieces using this technique were produced during the reign of the Kangxi emperor (1662–1722) and are distinctive for their absence of red and their predominance of cooler colors: lavender, light yellow, and/or light green.

One hallmark of Ming ceramics is the development of a stable, subtle marigold yellow. Two popular multicolor combination for yellow wares—red over yellow, and green over yellow—were developed during this time, the former employing a red overglaze on a yellow ground, and the latter a green enamel painted directly on a yellow ground.