Identification of Patterns on Ming and Qing Dynasty Porcelain - Animal Motifs Volume

Author: Tie Yuan
Publisher:
Publishing Date: Not Available
Features: Animal motifs in Ming and Qing dynasty porcelain, second only to plant motifs in importance, hold a significant place among all patterns. The themes are diverse, the styles varied, and the temporal characteristics are extremely distinct. For instance, the early Ming dynasty had relatively narrow themes, the early Ming period was dominated by marine beasts, the "blank period" commonly featured lions and qilins, the mid-Ming dynasty saw increasingly rich animal themes, while the late Ming period endowed patterns with allegorical meanings. Although the craftsmanship in the late Ming dynasty was somewhat rough, the life-like quality was vivid. The Qing dynasty expanded on the themes of the Ming dynasty, with outstanding achievements in both expression and innovative patterns. Especially, the bat motif, symbolizing auspiciousness, became an indispensable element in Qing dynasty animal motifs. This book collects over 500 pieces of Ming and Qing dynasty wares adorned with animal motifs, divided into 24 chapters based on the different representations of the objects: Qilin patterns, auspicious beast patterns, marine beast patterns, lion patterns, tiger patterns, pine-deer patterns, hundred-deer patterns, deer-and-crane patterns, horse patterns, ox patterns, sheep patterns, monkey patterns, joy-deer-and-honeybee-monkey patterns, rabbit patterns, squirrel patterns, fortune-and-longevity patterns, five-bats-holding-longevity patterns, prosperity-with-the-sky patterns, fortune-and-honor patterns, longevity-forest-and-sea patterns, cloud-bat patterns, fish patterns, crab patterns, and thread patterns. Starting from aspects such as the layout, painting techniques, and colors of the patterns, this book elaborates on animal motifs across dynasties and provides dating and identification. In the process of detailed discussion, it compares similar motifs from different dynasties, highlights differences between imperial and common kilns, and contrasts genuine and counterfeit works. Notably, some enlarged images of details help overcome the common problems of overlooking the small or intricate aspects, enabling readers to identify differences in the subtle details and providing strong evidence for accurate dating.