That's right, among the porcelains discovered next, Yang Jing found three more cups with different patterns, one is a Yongle blue and white cup with a flower heart and a year mark, one is a Yongle blue and white cup with a mandarin duck and lotus and a year mark, and another is a Yongle blue and white cup with a bamboo, rock and ganoderma and a year mark. Including the first Yongle blue and white cup with a double lion embroidered ball and a year mark, these four cups with the same shape and specifications constitute a set of four cups.
Among them, the Yongle blue and white hand-pressing cups with the mark of mandarin ducks lying on lotus and the mark of bamboo, rock and Ganoderma lucidum with the year written on the inside, although also collected by the Palace Museum, are imitations from the Wanli period. Especially the hand-pressing cup with the mark of bamboo, rock and Ganoderma lucidum with the year written on the inside, which is not even collected by the Palace Museum, and no one has ever heard of anyone collecting hand-pressing cups with this kind of pattern in other places.
These four hand-pressing cups are all genuine Yongle official kiln porcelains, and their value is extraordinary.
In addition to this set of hand-pressing cups, Yang Jing also discovered a total of more than 30 pieces of various official kiln porcelains from the Hongwu to Wanli periods, ranging from Hongwu blue and white porcelain to Yongle and Xuande blue and white porcelain, Yongle and Xuande underglaze colored porcelain, and Jiajing and Wanli multicolored porcelain, almost covering all the official kiln fine products from all periods of the Ming Dynasty.
Of course, the biggest discovery among them is the set of four Chenghua Doucai Chicken Cups!
Throughout the Ming Dynasty, the development of porcelain reached its peak. During the Ming Dynasty, Chinese porcelain truly achieved a flourishing pattern.
From blue and white porcelain to underglaze color, overglaze color, to monochrome glaze and variegated glaze, there are countless porcelains in the Ming Dynasty. But looking at the entire Ming Dynasty, the most famous porcelain is the doucai porcelain during the Chenghua period!
The Chenghua Doucai Chicken Cup is the most famous Doucai porcelain during the Chenghua period. Of course, this Chenghua Doucai Chicken Cup is composed of three aspects: Chenghua-Doucai-Chicken Cup.
Chenghua refers to the reign title of Ming Xianzong Zhu Jianshen. The Ming Dynasty used the reign title Chenghua for a total of twenty-three years.
Doucai, also known as Doucai, is a treasure of traditional Chinese porcelain making. It was first fired during the Xuande period of the Ming Dynasty. Doucai during the Chenghua period of the Ming Dynasty was the most respected. It is a decorative variety that combines underglaze color (blue and white) with overglaze color.
According to historical documents, Doucai originated in the Xuande period of the Ming Dynasty, but Xuande's Doucai porcelain is extremely rare. Therefore, the Doucai of the Chenghua period is the most respected. It is also called Cheng "kiln color" or "five colors in blue and white" in Ming and Qing documents.
The patterns on Chenghua Doucai porcelain handed down from generation to generation are simple, and the content is mainly flowers, birds, and figures. The method is to first use blue and white to outline the outline of the pattern on the white porcelain body, cover it with glaze and fire it at high temperature, and then fill different parts of the pattern with different colors according to the needs, usually three to five colors, and finally put it into the color furnace for low-temperature firing.
Chenghua Doucai can be divided into several types, such as dot color, overlay color, dye color, and fill color. Except for some large bowls, most Chenghua Doucai are small and unique in shape, including cups, chicken cups, small handle cups, etc. There is also a covered jar with seahorses or round flowers painted on it, and a blue and white "Wan" character on the bottom.
As for the Chicken Cup, it is named because the cup is shaped like a jar and the main decoration is chicken stone. There are many other Chenghua Doucai wares with chicken stone as decoration, such as the Chicken Stone Pattern Cup, Chicken Stone Pattern High-foot Cup, Chicken Stone Pattern Bowl, Chicken Stone Pattern Jar, Chicken Stone Pattern Tea Tray, etc.
The Chenghua Doucai Chicken-Glazed Cup is made by first outlining the outline of the pattern with fine blue and white lines on the outer wall of a bowl with a diameter of about eight centimeters. Then it is glazed and fired in a kiln at a high temperature of about 1300 degrees to form the body. The reserved blue and white patterns are then filled with red, green, yellow and other colors, and then fired in the kiln a second time at a low temperature.
The outer wall is divided into two groups with peony lake stones and orchid lake stones. One group depicts a rooster with its head held high, a hen and a chick pecking at a centipede, and two other chicks playing with each other; the other group depicts a rooster crowing, a hen and three chicks pecking at a centipede. The images are vivid and interesting.
The Chicken Cup is one of the Doucai cups of the Chenghua period of the Ming Dynasty, and is a drinking utensil with an open mouth, shallow belly, and flat feet.
In fact, strictly speaking, the name of Chenghua Doucai Chicken Cup is really a bit earthy compared to the various high-sounding names of other porcelains from the Ming or Qing dynasties. However, it is such a porcelain with such an earthy name, but its value ranks among the top among Chinese porcelains. There is also a very touching story about the origin of this Chicken Cup.
Although Emperor Chenghua enjoyed great glory and honor after becoming the emperor and was known as the Son of Heaven, who knew that Zhu Jianshen was actually an lonely and helpless child when he was young.
When Zhu Jianshen was less than two years old, his father, Ming Yingzong Zhu Qizhen, was captured by the Oirat people because of the Tumu Fortress Incident, and then the emperor became his uncle. So the child was helpless in the deep palace, and danger was everywhere. His uncle could get rid of him at any time for the throne. From the age of two, loneliness, loneliness and fear constantly entangled the child. For him, his childhood was gray. In this gloomy childhood, the only person who could bring him comfort was the palace maid Wan.
Wan, who was only a palace maid at the time, was 17 years older than Zhu Jianshen. However, it was this mother-like woman who always accompanied Zhu Jianshen, comforted him, and took care of his life. In his young heart, this person who guarded him day and night was the one he could trust.
Later, Zhu Jianshen was deposed as the crown prince, and the people around him packed up and left. Only the palace maid named Wan stayed by his side from beginning to end.
Later, Zhu Jianshen's father Zhu Qizhen launched the "Change of the Gate" and regained the throne. Then after his father's death, Zhu Jianshen ascended the throne and became an emperor.
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