Late Ming Blue and White Wares

In the late Ming period during the reign of Wan Li (1567-1620), large numbers of blue-and-white were produced for the domestic and export markets and although some of the quality and craftsmanship has given way to quantity many still have a good clear glaze with lively decoration in dark blue.
Wan Li Ming Dynasty 16th Century

Late Ming blue-and-white is very commonly found in Southeast Asia and forms the largest section of this Exhibition. Many were made in South China in Kwangtung and Fukien provinces and exported through the port of Swatow, thus giving rise to the name “Swatow ware”.  This ware is heavily potted and boldly decorated often with freely drawn floral scrolls,  dragons, phoenixes, ch’ilin or other mythical beasts. The dishes are sometimes found with  Chinese inscriptions and occasionally with rather poorly written Arabic script as if the Chinese decorator was mechanically copying the foreign script without knowing what he was
writing. The bases of “Swatow wares” are typically roughly finished and partially glazed, often with sand adhering.

Large jars for storage purposes were also exported in large numbers to Southeast Asia.

Many of these export wares may also have been used in China. There is a large gap in our knowledge of the ordinary blue-and-white domestic wares used within China. Chinese literary writers did not consider these humble porcelains, made for the ordinary people, worth writing about. They must have been in everyday use in China and at the same time many were exported, particularly to the Southeast Asian area.

In China, as with all domestic wares in constant use, these vessels have long ago been broken and replaced, but overseas they were treasured and preserved. Valued for the life-time of their owners, they were then either buried with them or handed down from generation to generation.

Many of the export/ domestic wares in this Exhibition come from Indonesia, having been dug up by local people aware of the commercial value to the antique trade; or turned up in excavations for major agricultural and utility development projects; unfortunately, very often the provenance or related material has been lost forever.


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