Xuande

The Hongxi (reigned 1424–25), Xuande (1425–35), and Hongzhi (1487–1505) emperors were nevertheless able and conscientious rulers in the Confucian mode. The only serious disruption of the peace occurred in 1449 when the eunuch Wang Zhen led the Zhengtong emperor (first reign 1435–49) into a disastrous military campaign against the…

…of the Yongle (1402–24) and Xuande (1425–35) emperors. Examples of carved lacquer that can be attributed to both these reigns are extant. They are bold in design and free from the superabundance of small detail that characterized later productions; the colour also is generally deeper and richer than that of…

In this period the arts were particularly fostered and a high level of achievement attained. The blue painting is blackish in colour, with dark spots at intervals where thick blobs of pigment were deposited by the brush—the so-called heaped and piled effect.…