During the Yongle and Xuande periods, a rapid development in the production of monochrome
wares was observed. The most well-known glaze colours are ruby-red, or sacrificial red,
sacrificial blue, and white glaze. Among these colours, tianbai (sweet white) stood out and was
perfected in the Yongle period. Yellow was used for objects for ancestral worship in the Ming
dynasty, and the yellow glaze produced in Hongzhi period was most admired. Other monochrome
wares included celadon wares, green glazed wares and purple glazed wares. Monochrome wares
are usually undecorated, but occasionally they are incised with dragon-and-cloud design. Some
Yongle and Xuande items are further decorated with gilded patterns.