Yuan potters reached a zenith in the Yongle and Xuande period of the Ming dynasty.
There was further refinement of materials and technique. The bodies became lighter
and whiter in clour, while the blue pigment grew to be bright and sharp. The overall
sizes of underglaze wares became smaller and thier decoration moved away from
the dense composition of the Yuan dynasty to sparser style. Popular motifs include
floral scrolls and floral sprays, dragons and phoenixes, animals, children at play and
figures in gardens.
The Yongle and Xuande periods marked the golden age for underglaze blue wares.
The elegent designs, shown against clear white backgrounds are executed in strog
blue hues. New vessel shapes abounded in number due to foreign influence. Wares
from the imperial kilns were usually marked with the reigning period beginning from
the Xuande time. Chenghua wares are noted for thier soft blue tone and delicate style.
Hongzhi wares are often decorated with dragons on a background of lotus scrolls.
Wares of the Jiajing and Wanli periods exhibit decorative designs of religious and
auspicious subjects in strong blue tones within busy compositions.