Qing Dynasty Blue & White Porcelain

Kangxi to Kuangxu Period

Qing Blue and White Chinese Porcelain,  (1644-1911)

On this page is a selection of late 17th to early 20th C. Chinese porcelain representing a fairly good cross section of the types of blue and

18th C. Kangxi period porcelain Charger

white examples found in the market today, with a few much rarer examples for comparison. Pay close attention to the small details such as the foot-rims and textures of the glazes.

By the beginning of the Qing Dynasty  (1644-1911) the once active kilns in Jingdezhen had fallen on hard times. Imperial orders had by then been dwindling down as the country's leadership shifted from the Ming to the control of the Qing Mandarins from the north.  While some very attractive examples of blue and white continued to be produced during the first half of the 17th C., they were mostly the products of private kilns and were done in relatively scant quantities when it came to pieces of great artistic merit.

The best known of these are often referred to as "late Ming to Transitional porcelains" and were until the mid 20th C. largely ignored and mis-understood by scholars. Fortunately since then much has been learned due to the hard work by a small group of academics and collectors, in particular Sir Michael Butler, Stephen Little and Margaret Medley. The resulting knowledge garnered from this work resulted in completing the puzzle and laying the groundwork for understanding the starting points for the resumption porcelain making on a large scale during the mid Kangxi period (post 1785) and lasted until 1911. The progression of form and style of Qing Dynasty blue & white porcelain evolved endlessly from the end of the Ming to the Republican period.

To read more about the history of Chinese blue and white along with additional images visit our blog: Chinese Blue and White The Most Collected Chinese Porcelain for Over 700 Years

To view, Click on a desired image to view and for information, then Double Click the image once more to ENLARGE. You Can also Right-Click to open in a new screen for efficiency.