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Imperial Ceramics Produced both in Jingdezhen and LongquanCeramics for official use in the early Ming dynasty had several origins. In 1393, Taizu, the first emperor of Ming, ordered some court vessels be produced at the Longquan kilns and the Jingdezhen kilns. Later on, a eunuch was still supervising the manufacture of ceramics in the Longquan area in 1464. That is the reason why the shapes and decorative patterns of Longquan celadon are often similar to those of Jingdezhen, as they both followed the same specifications of the court. Those court patterns, covering all the surface of Longquan wares, were carefully stamped, moulded, incised or carved in relief. In contrast to the delicate tableware produced at Jingdezhen, however, the Longquan wares consist of thick, heavy displaying vessels, such as vases, jars, basins, incense burners, and large dishes and bowls.  Yi vessel with incised dragon design Longquan ware Early Ming Dynasty  Pear-shaped vase, Yuhuchun, with incised peony design Longquan ware Ming Dynasty  Covered ewer with incised floral design Longquan ware Ming Dynasty  Underglaze red pear-shaped vase, Yuhuchun, with plantain, bamboo and garden stone design Hongwu period of Ming dynasty  Covered plum-shaped vase, Meiping Longquan ware Ming Dynasty  Bowl with incised four-season flowers design Longquan ware Ming Dynasty  Large vase with incised floral design Longquan ware Ming Dynasty |
