Wucai (five colours) wares in the Ming dynasty refer to items that combine underglaze
blue with overglaze enamels. Examples of such wares bearing the Xuande mark have
been found in the kiln site of Zhushan in Jingdezhen. Technically, these wares require
two firings, the first at a high teperature for the underglaze blue and the second at a
lower temperature for the colour enamels. The palette of Wucai consists mainly of red,
yellow, green, blue and purple. The name given, however, does not imply a limit of five
colours; the term only refers to the colourful effect. On the Ming Wucai wares, underglaze
blue is used to depict the blue areas in the pictorial composition, because overglaze
blue enamel had not yet been produced. Wucai wares of the Jiajing and Wanli periods
were most representative of this period and they laid the foundation for the development
of Wucai wares in the Qing dynasty. Poular subjects on Wucai wares include aquatic
scenes, dragons and pheonixes and other figures.