Chinese Ming Vases Facts That Will Boost Your Creativity!

Ming vases were blue and white porcelain wares that were made during the Ming period.

The Ming period started around 1368 and lasted until 1644. During this time, porcelain wares were made as valuable items.

Ming vases came about in the early Ming period. These vases were made of porcelain to near perfection. These vases were of a variety of different styles, with each vase glazed with intricate designs and paintings. The porcelain made during this period was of very high quality, often changing hands over 70 times before a single item was deemed complete. Due to this, these vases were considered to be highly exclusive and were bought by the rich and the famous as a status symbol. They were also a favorite of the Imperial Court and the Emperors of the time. These porcelain vases are considered to be the most prized of all ceramics and art that have come from China today. This is mainly due to their exclusivity and the high demand these vases had all over the world during the Ming period. They represented luxury and wealth, prosperity and status. Over the Ming period, the trade and manufacture of these vases gradually declined, increasing their rarity. They quickly became much sought-after collectibles, by various European, Asian, and Arab clients. Over the years, these collectible vases were donated to museums all over the world, and have since then retained their exclusivity. Today, these vases can be sold for millions and millions of dollars.

Signature Styles

Ming vases or the Ming dynasty porcelain is the most valuable form of Chinese porcelain.

There are three signature styles of porcelain from the Ming dynasty. These include the 'Baoyueping' or the moon flask, the 'Tianqiuping' or the globular vase, the 'Xiangtuiping' or the sleeve vase.

The moon flask was inspired by gold and silver porcelain from the Middle East. These vases were characterized by a circularly shaped body that resembled the moon, a long narrow neck, a flat base, and two side handles. The side handles of this Ming vase represented an embrace between the body and neck of the porcelain vase.

The globular porcelain vase was popular during the Ming dynasty. These porcelain vases were characterized by a straight neck, concave base, globular body, and a small mouth.

The sleeve vase was a porcelain vase that was created in the period between the Ming dynasty and Qing dynasty. This was a transitional phase in the production of porcelain. This vase was characterized by straight sides and a short neck.

Ming Vases Vs. Other Vases

The Ming dynasty was known worldwide for its white/blue porcelain and fine ceramics. Unlike other vases, Ming porcelain vases are highly valuable to collectors today. Ming porcelain had a major influence on ceramics from Britain and Japan. The production of pottery in China goes back to the Han dynasty in 206 BCE.

Porcelain is more valuable than other materials because of its smoothness, pure white color, and translucence. During the Ming dynasty, porcelain was developed to near perfection, making the porcelain Ming vase the highest quality vase out there. These vases quickly became the most prized of all Chinese porcelain and arts. Porcelain takes various forms in addition to vases. This includes teapots, lamps, ink stones, ceramic pillows, and so on.

Under the Ming dynasty, the people grew prosperous. Hence, the rich began to seek artwork that would show off their prosperity. As a result, the social status of art quickly rose, and a high demand developed for Ming porcelain. Blue and white porcelain were very valuable and porcelain decoration became very elaborate. Demand began to increase in Japan and Europe and porcelain became a major export. By the 18th century, Porcelain wares were made with such perfection and technique that a single Ming vase would go through over 70 workers before it was finished. The Imperial Court was the biggest customer of porcelain wares in the Ming dynasty. Over time, the white and blue porcelain vases became scarce due to a trade decline.

The 18th century also saw the rise of collectorship in Europe, especially due to the fame of art and porcelain from China. These collections were eventually passed over to museums worldwide. For example, a tall ming vase was sold at Sotheby's in Hong Kong for $21.6 million in 2011.

Early Ming Period

The Ming dynasty or the Great Ming is the dynasty that ruled over ancient China from 1368 to 1644. The Ming dynasty rose to power after the collapse of the Yuan dynasty.

The Ming dynasty was the final imperial dynasty that ruled over ancient China. It was ruled by the Han Chinese of ancient China. During the Ming dynasty, poetry, music, painting, and Chinese Opera grew in popularity. Chinese art became especially popular with the Imperial Court and the lower Yangzi valley. The Ming period was renowned for its porcelains and ceramics. The main production center of porcelain wares during the Ming dynasty was at Jingdezhen in Jiangxi province. This area was known for its blue and white porcelain. In Fujian, porcelain factories catered to the European taste, creating Chinese export porcelain.

In the 17th century, many individual potters were known for their work. For example, He Chaozong was a potter who was known for his white porcelain work. Over 16% of ceramics during the Ming period in ancient China were exported to Europe, Japan, and Southeast Asia. They were much more in demand than art made out of other raw materials like wood.

Porcelain wares in the Ming period in China were glazed with intricate designs and art, depicting people and paintings. The wealthy often kept these exclusive wares in their homes. These vases were emphasized with rosewood furniture, embroidered silk, and brush holders made of pottery stone and other raw materials like wood. The Ming period was especially good for artists, as art had a very elevated social status.

The Ming dynasty led to the flourishing of art, poetry, and literature in ancient China. It was one of the most significant ruling periods in China and it saw many advancements in terms of art, technology, literature, religion, and so on. In fact, The Great Wall of China and the Grand Canal in China were completely rebuilt during the Ming period. The rebuilding of the Grand Canal of China significantly impacted trade in the country, helping the economy flourish. The Forbidden City, which was the Emperors Palace in the Capital City of Beijing was also built during the Ming period. The Ming period was, hence, the period that saw the creation of some of the world's most impressive landmarks, beautiful poetry and literature, and the timeless, valuable Ming vase.

FAQs

Why are Ming dynasty vases so valuable?

The Ming vases of China are very valuable because they are made of the highest quality porcelain that was manufactured during the Ming dynasty. In fact, Porcelain was created to near perfection during the Ming period, often seeing the hands of over 70 workers before it was deemed complete. Porcelain during the Ming period was of the purest white and was almost translucent. In addition to this, each Ming vase was intricately glazed with blue designs by famous artists of the time, rendering beautiful imagery on pearly white wares of various styles.

How old are Ming dynasty vases?

The Ming vase of China dates back to the early Ming period which lasted from 1368 to 1644. This makes them over 650 years old today.

What are Chinese ming vases made out of?

The Chinese Ming vase is made of the highest quality porcelain there is. This porcelain is highly worked upon and is pearly white, easily moldable, and translucent.

How much are original Chinese Ming dynasty vases worth?

An authentic Imperial Ming vase could be worth millions of dollars depending upon the design and period of creation. However, a non-imperial vase from the Ming Dynasty can be a little over 100 dollars.

What do the marks on Chinese ming vases mean?

An authentic Ming vase generally has markings in vertical columns which are read from top to bottom. The markings follow a six-character format. The first two characters symbolize the dynasty. It could either be 'Da Ming' or 'Da Qing', which refers to the Qing dynasty. The third and fourth characters symbolize the name of the emperor. The fifth and sixth characters are 'Nian Zhi', which means 'Made For'.

These markings began appearing during the Ming period and carried on to the following Qing dynasty. However, in 1667 during the Kangxi period, the emperor forbid the use of his name on porcelain in case it was broken. Hence, many porcelain marks just consist of blue circles in the place of the emperor's name.

What are some historic facts about Chinese ming vases?

Most of these vases were blue in color during the time because of the cobalt ores that were imported from Persia. These cobalt ores were scarce and were used in a very limited manner. Since the Ming vase was considered to be a status symbol for the rich, they were often glazed with intricate blue designs with these cobalt ores.