It is rare to see utensils with official kiln models, because it was against the rules to fire blue and white porcelain during the Zhengtong period. However, porcelain production in Jingdezhen Imperial Ware Factory did not stop completely, but there was no formal official kiln inscription written on it.
In 1986, a blue and white peony beast-eared statue appeared in Hong Kong (in incomplete repair). The bottom of the vessel was exposed with the words "On the auspicious day of the first month of the second year of Zhengtong in the Ming Dynasty (1437), disciple Cheng Jin enshrined it". Its calligraphy is in the style of the Ming Dynasty, with thick shapes, rich blue colors, and clear layers of peony decorations. Its shape, painting, and blue and white colors all retain the Xuande style. Bottles and jars similar to them are commonly seen in daily life, mostly painted with patterns such as peacocks and peonies, immortals riding cranes, dragons, phoenixes, unicorns, high scholars leisurely, playing music, chess, calligraphy and painting, visiting friends, Laozi preaching, lotus ponds and mandarin ducks, and fairy mountain pavilions shrouded in clouds. The picture is more prominent.
In 1973, five blue and white covered jars were discovered in the tomb of Zhu Panxang, the eldest son of Ning Wang Zhu Quan, in the second year of Ming Zhengtong in Xinjian County, Jiangxi Province. They were all decorated with lotus as the theme, and the whole lid was painted with wheel patterns. There are five layers, some of which are lined with lotuses and eight treasures. The rich blue color is consistent with the style of Xuande blue and white porcelain.
There are also two identical blue and white pen holders, both in the shape of a five-peaked mountain. One piece is painted with heavy-colored blue and white on the whole body, depicting mountains, clouds, and figures in pavilions, which is called "Yundangshou" in the Japanese ceramics industry; the other is written on the front with the Chinese blue and white "Orthodox Eight Years" and painted on the back. The decoration is similar to the pattern of bamboo shoots to show the cascading mountains. The colors are green and dark brown, and the brushwork is thick and heavy. Although it is made in a folk kiln, it is a representative masterpiece of blue and white porcelain in the orthodox period.
There are no dated artifacts found in blue and white porcelain from the Jingtai period. A batch of folk kiln blue and white vessels were unearthed from the tombs of the fourth and seventh years of Jingtai in Jingdezhen, Jiangxi Province, including three-legged tube furnaces, halberd-eared bottles, etc. The paintings are simple and have features similar to those of the previous dynasty. The firing quantity is large, and the imported materials are combined with the domestic "Ping Ping Qing" material. "Pingping Qing", also known as "Pitang Qing", is produced in Leping County, Jiangxi Province. It caught up later and gradually replaced "Sunibo Qing". It is characterized by stable color, blueish-gray or blue color, and contains The amount of iron is small, so no dark spots appear, the color is deep but not floating, and it is known for being warm and elegant. The decorations are sparse and clear, the painting techniques are exquisite, the brushes are slender and soft, clear and transparent, and they are lined with white, delicate and moist glazes, making the blue and white wares of this period become elegant works of art.
In 1973 and 1987, a large number of broken porcelains from the Chenghua official kiln were unearthed from the Jingdezhen Imperial Ware Factory site, with blue and white porcelain being the largest quantity. Among them, there are plates and bowls decorated with pine, bamboo and plum blossoms, two lions playing with balls, unicorns, sea water animals and other patterns from the Xuande period, as well as jars with Ganoderma lucidum patterns or flying dragons. The shapes and sizes of the vessels are different. The small utensils of the Chenghua period were mostly plates, bowls, cups, saucers, and goblets. They were thin, light, and beautiful in shape. The decorations mostly used double lines to outline and fill in colors, which were extremely delicate and neat. The paintings of flowers and birds, lotuses, okra, nine autumns, lotus ponds, mandarin ducks, algae, chilongs, capricorns, clouds and pavilions, masters, etc. are vivid and elegant, and the Buddhist cross and pestle and Sanskrit scriptures are fluent in calligraphy. The three-autumn flower butterfly cup with a body as thin as an egg shell, and the decoration on the outer wall can be seen in the vessel, is truly a wonder of its generation. There are few official kiln utensils, and most of them are fired in private kilns. The color of Tianqi blue and white can be bright and bright, or there is a type with a greater degree of gray in the blue. Compared with the early Ming Dynasty, the craftsmanship is obviously rough. The patterns are painted with dyeing techniques. Some are blue, black or gray, and there is a mixture of shades at the same time. Water, clear layers, and green color are fresh tones that transition to the colors of the Qing Dynasty. The shapes include plum vases, stoves, pots, pots, jars, flower goblets, water purification bowls, plates, bowls, cups, etc. The carcass is generally thick and thick, with both loose and firm textures coexisting. His exquisite works are thin and light, and they can be painted lightly, as delicately and softly as the white lines of Song Dynasty paintings. They are rare and wonderful pens in the past, such as the dragon button bell with the Eight Immortals and the official kiln model in the book "Made by Meng Xia Yue in the first year of the Great Ming Dynasty". The small cup painted with pine and bamboo patterns is a masterpiece of the late Ming Dynasty. Blue and white basins with bright and deep colors are painted with Zhejiang materials. The chrysanthemum dyeing method was first used, which changed the dense style of the Wanli period. The decorations are extensive, including characters and stories such as Bodhidharma and Arhat, as well as animals such as tigers, cows, reed geese, and fish. , shrimp, and also large freehand landscapes, which have the characteristics of bold and exaggerated freehand paintings. Japanese ceramic scholars refer to this type of work as "ancient dyeing", which is an export product and indeed has the style of Japanese ceramics.
The Jingdezhen Imperial Ware Factory was discontinued during the Chongzhen period. Most of the ones seen so far were fired in private kilns with poor craftsmanship, and they were mostly sacrificial vessels, such as cylindrical incense burners. They were often painted with crude dragon patterns, and were gray to dark brown in color, often with haloes. The styles of the objects dated to the 7th, 8th, 9th and 10th years of Chongzhen period are consistent. Their strong color is mixed with black spots. If the halo is severe, the clarity of the decoration and fonts will be affected, and they are often blurred.
The blue and white porcelain at this time has a special style transitioning to the Qing Dynasty. For example, the blue and white round box with the inscription "Made in the Chongzhen Year of the Ming Dynasty" uses the blue and white as the ground to leave a delicate and neat white lotus pattern. The bottom of the vessel is wide and flat. The feet are circled, with more exposed feet; another example is the incense burner type with light blue and white colors depicting Arhat patterns, Bodhidharma climbing roads, upper shoulders darkly engraved honeysuckle patterns, simple decoration, bright blue and white colors, and the bottom of the inscription "Made in the Chongzhen Year of the Ming Dynasty" ” 6 characters in regular script, neatly written.
The decorations mostly use thick lines, some use light strokes, and some use splash ink painting. The subject matter is mainly sketching, and the figures painted are all thick and thin, with the extensive and vivid style of the late Ming Dynasty; its meticulous and elegant quiet figures and dyed landscapes are the forerunners of the blue and white flowers of the Qing Dynasty, including stories from various countries, mountain masters, the Eight Immortals, Pictures such as Arhat are quite typical.