Jar with plum blossoms, bamboo, and pine

Blue-and-white Ceramics from China, Korea, Japan, and Vietnam

Although blue-and-white wares had been produced earlier, it was under the patronage of the Ming dynasty court, that the official kiln in Jingdezhen in southeastern China became the greatest center for ceramic production in the country. At the same time, China's interest in outward exploration helped open trade routes through which large quantities of ceramics were exported. In the early 1400s the Muslim admiral Zheng He led Chinese naval fleets on a series of expeditions around the world.

Meanwhile, other countries were developing their own blue-and-white technologies. In Korea, King Seizong (1418-1450) ordered artisans at the official kiln Gwangju-gun in Gyeonggi-do to make porcelains decorated with Chinese cobalt. The discovery of Korean cobalt in 1464 stimulated local production of exquisitely painted blue-and-white ceramics. In the early 1600s Japanese potters began using clay that could be fired at high temperatures in new, more efficient "climbing kilns." The Japanese quickly began producing their own blue-and-white porcelains. Early efforts were closely modeled upon Korean and Chinese examples, but Japanese potters soon began producing ceramics with local motifs that were popular both in their country and abroad.