Chinese blue and white porcelain is a unique contribution to the history of ceramics. Its technical originality and artistic brilliance have captivated and inspired people since the fourteenth century. This lavishly illustrated book traces the fascinating variety of paths these pieces have followed as they travelled around the world.
The author begins wiht the early history and evolution of blue and white in China, which began during the Yuan dynasty (1271-1368), when the Mongols ruled not only China but all of Asia, creating an environment in which blue and white swiftly reached as far as the Mediterranean.
In the fifteenth century the Chinese became enamoured of their own product. At the same time, Ming dynasty potters were susceptible to ideas and influences from the Islamic world. During the colonial period of the Portuguese, Dutch and British expansion, they also responded to other commercial and aesthetic pressures. From the sixteenth century onwards, collecting became a passion and a major influence on the concept of chinoiserie.
In our own times the conbined efforts of scholars, collectors and archaeologists have helped illuminate how, why and when blue ans white developed and made such a major impact on world civilization. The wealth of stunning illustrations are drawn from the British Museum's world-class collection as well as from other museums and private collections around the world.
1. Origins : The Origins of blue and white in the Yuan dynasty
2. Pattern and Perception : Blue and white porcelain and its perception
3. Destiny : Asia, Africa, Syria and Egypt
4. Change : The decline of the Mongols and the early Ming dynasty
5. Celadon and Copper Red : Parallel developments in Chinese ceramics
6. Empires : Portuguese and Spaniards, sultans and shahs
7. Imitation and Rivalry : Korea and Japan
8. Survival : Shipwrecks, China and the West
9. Collectors and excavators : Collectors and chinoiserie, excavators and scholars