Blue and white porcelain inspires the world

Of all the art forms created in China during its long history, the Blue and White porcelain is considered a masterpiece of the craft because of its technical originality and artistic brilliance. It has a refined quality, simple but elegant designs, bright colors and is decorated with rich patterns.

Today, noted antique collector Ma Weidu introduces us to what’s known as the “pearl of the porcelain world”.

Influenced by Chinese, Persian and Mongolian artisans, Chinese blue and white porcelain has made a unique contribution to the history of ceramics. Beginning with its development in the 14th century, it continues to captivate and inspire the entire world.

Ma Weidu, antique collector, said, “There were still eight types of porcelain in the Song Dynasty, but up to Yuan Dynasty, blue and white porcelain began to dominate and became the only type. Blue and white porcelain has been in the reigning position and no other porcelain has been able shake its predominance for seven hundred years.”

The artistic value which distinguishes Blue and white porcelain comes from blue flowers — one of the earliest porcelain decoration methods with typical Chinese characteristics. The materials of blue flower are rich in natural cobalt mineral, so it is easy to color and the color never fades.

During the Hanhai Autumn auction earlier this month, a blue and white porcelain jug was auctioned off for 83.4 million yuan, or about 12 million US dollars. The price set a record for a single piece of porcelain ware auctioned within China.

from http://english.cctv.com/program/cultureexpress/20091120/101409.shtml