The Fame of Flame: Imperial Wares of the Jiajing and Wanli Periods
14 October 2009 to 1 June 2010

An exhibition of late Ming ceramics is held in the University Museum and Art Gallery, The University of Hong Kong. It is the first of its kind ever held to introduce the imperial wares of China in the sixteenth century.

In the Ming dynasty (1368-1644), blue and white porcelain was the mainstream genre for porcelain production. With vast amount of imperial patronage, the ceramic industry at Jingdezhen experienced further development. Official kilns were set up to cater exclusively to the needs of the imperial household. Quality control of imperial porcelain became so rigorous that quality of Ming blue and whites became indisputably superior to those of any other time.

By the late Ming dynasty, the quality of blue and white porcelain made another surge during the reign of Jiajing (r. 1522-1566) and Wanli (r. 1573-1620). Because of Jiajing's fascination with religious Daoism as a means to longevity, motifs from Daoist symbolism such as the auspicious shou character, the cranes, the eight immortals and the Daoist emblems were frequently used as decorative elements. Simultaneously, the quality of polychrome porcelain filled with colourful patterns known as wucai improved and was also successfully produced at the Jingdezhen kilns.

This exhibition features over 120 pieces of imperial wares, chosen from the collection of the University Museum and Art Gallery and local private collectors to demonstrate the technical innovations and refinements of the porcelain industry of the late Ming period.

To coincide with the exhibition, lectures (in Cantonese) and guided tours (in Cantonese and English) will be organised at 3pm during the weekends on the 17, 24, 31 October, and 7, 14 November.

A fully-illustrated catalogue with essays is available.