wucai ware
Quick Summary
Wucai ware, meaning "five-colour," is a type of Chinese pottery that emerged during the Ming dynasty, particularly in the Jiajing and Wanli periods. This style is characterized by its vibrant overglaze painting, utilizing a broad palette of colors applied with bold and free strokes.1
These wares are distinct from earlier styles due to the use of overglaze colors, which were applied with delicate care. While the Ming dynasty saw the development of wucai ware, similar techniques and styles continued into the Qing dynasty, though often with more precise finishing and less spontaneity compared to Ming pieces. The wucai style was also imitated in "Swatow ware" for export to Southeast Asia.12
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potteryReigns of the Longqing and Wanli emperors (1567–1620)…verte palette) was known as “Wanli five-colour” ware (Wanli wucai). The red and green Jiajing decoration was also used, and vast quantities of blue-and-white porcelain were produced for export. The body is quite unlike that used earlier in the dynasty, being thin, hard, crisp, and resonant. It is the commonest…
Read More…verte palette) was known as “Wanli five-colour” ware (Wanli wucai). The red and green Jiajing decoration was also used, and vast quantities of blue-and-white porcelain were produced for export. The body is quite unlike that used earlier in the dynasty, being thin, hard, crisp, and resonant. It is the commonest…
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Chinese potteryThe Ming dynasty (1368–1644)These vigorous wucai (“five-colour”) wares, which utilized a wide palette, were especially free and bold in the Jiajing and Wanli periods. Crude but lively imitations of these and of the blue-and-white of Jingdezhen were made in kilns in southern China partly for the Southeast Asian market and…
Read MoreThese vigorous wucai (“five-colour”) wares, which utilized a wide palette, were especially free and bold in the Jiajing and Wanli periods. Crude but lively imitations of these and of the blue-and-white of Jingdezhen were made in kilns in southern China partly for the Southeast Asian market and…
Read More- potteryOverglaze colours
…are a development of the Wanli five-colour ware, the major difference being the replacement of the earlier underglaze blue by an overglaze blue. On most genuine examples it is possible to see a distinct halo around the overglaze blue, but its absence does not condemn the piece as not genuine.…
Read More…are a development of the Wanli five-colour ware, the major difference being the replacement of the earlier underglaze blue by an overglaze blue. On most genuine examples it is possible to see a distinct halo around the overglaze blue, but its absence does not condemn the piece as not genuine.…
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