China News Service, Beijing, September 27 (Reporter Wang Mengyao) On the 27th, China Post issued a set of 5 special stamps "Blue and White Porcelain (Yuan)" and 1 souvenir sheet. The six pieces of national treasure-level Yuan blue and white that are stored in five cultural and museum institutions across the country have turned into a tangible "national business card".
The themes of Yuan blue and white are all-encompassing, ranging from auspicious dragons and phoenixes, historical stories, to flowers and feathers, and landscapes and markets. They not only carry the spiritual core of the traditional culture of the Central Plains, but also incorporate the era marks of the blending of multi-ethnic cultures and overseas trade. At present, there are only a few complete Yuan Dynasty blue and white vessels in existence, and most of them are scattered in major collections at home and abroad. The special stamps issued this time cover three categories: unearthed from cellars, buried with royal tombs, and passed down from ancient times to collections. They include large jars, plum vases, jade spring vases, kettles, plates and other classic types, comprehensively demonstrating the artistic height, craftsmanship and historical weight of Yuan Dynasty blue and white porcelain.
The first one shows the Yuan blue and white cloud dragon pattern animal ear-ring lid jar, which is now collected in the Gao'an City Museum in Jiangxi Province. It was unearthed from the Gao'an cellar in 1980. As a huge and powerful vessel in the collection of Yuan blue and white flowers, it is nearly half a meter high, with a helmet-shaped lid, lotus buds as buttons, and animal heads symmetrically stacked on the shoulders to ring the ears. It blends with the traditional dragon pattern decoration of the Central Plains. It is a typical physical evidence of the integration of multi-ethnic cultures in the Yuan Dynasty. The whole body of the jar is decorated with up to twelve layers, with patterns such as lotus petals, miscellaneous treasures, curly grass, and entangled peonies arranged in sequence from top to bottom. The main body of the pot is a cloud and dragon pattern that is vigorous, leaping and agile, complex but not chaotic, and well-layered, fully displaying the rich and powerful atmosphere of the Yuan Dynasty blue and white.
The second jade pot spring vase shows the story of Yuan blue and white characters. It is now collected in the Hunan Provincial Museum and was unearthed in Changde, Hunan in 1956. The jade pot spring bottle is a classic wine vessel of the Yuan Dynasty, with a long neck, a rounded mouth, a hanging belly and round feet. The lines are like rippling spring water, soft and elegant. The theme decoration on the abdomen depicts the historical story of Meng Tian, a famous general in the Qin Dynasty. The generals sit majestically and the soldiers have different shapes. The scene is supplemented by strange rocks, plantains, and bamboo fences. The composition is full and the narrative is clear. Zaju flourished in the Yuan Dynasty, and stories about historical figures were widely popular among the people. Porcelain craftsmen painted stage narratives on plain bodies, allowing daily wine vessels to carry out the function of cultural communication. This vase is a representative work of blue and white figures from the Yuan Dynasty.
The third one shows the Yuan blue and white single phoenix pattern rhombus mouth plate, which is now collected in the Guangdong Provincial Museum. This type of rhombus-mouthed vessel, with its folded rim and shallow belly and flat bottom, was common in export porcelain of the Yuan Dynasty and was influenced by the styling styles of West Asian gold and silverware. The whole body is covered with warm green and white glaze, and the center of the plate is painted with a pattern of a single phoenix piercing chrysanthemums. The phoenix is stretched and vigorous, the chrysanthemum branches and leaves are unrestrained, and the mouth is decorated with curly grass patterns, with flowing lines. The blue and white hair color is blue and calm, and the blue and white contrast with each other, elegant and elegant. A large number of such artifacts were sold overseas along the Silk Road. They were not only physical witnesses of the prosperous Sino-foreign trade in the Yuan Dynasty, but also an early carrier of Eastern aesthetics to the world.
The fourth one represents a Yuan blue and white eight-edge ewer, which is now collected in the Hebei Museum. It was unearthed from the Yuan Dynasty cellar of Yonghua South Road Primary School in Baoding in 1964. The eight-sided shape is straight, elegant, regular and dignified. The whole body is layered with patterns of banana leaves, lotus petals, broken flowers, and curly grass, which are complex but not chaotic, with clear layers; the handle is symmetrical, the neck is decorated with S-shaped flowers, and the head of the handle is piled with curling cloud patterns, with exquisite details. The texture is dense and delicate, and the glaze color is bright and deep. It is a masterpiece of Yuan Dynasty porcelain.
The fifth plum vase depicting the Four Loves in Yuan Dynasty is now collected in the Hubei Provincial Museum. It was unearthed from the tomb of King Ying Jing in Zhongxiang City, Hubei Province in 2006. The plum bottle is a classic wine storage vessel of the Yuan Dynasty. It has a small mouth, plump shoulders, narrow belly and round feet, and a calm and majestic shape. There are four groups of begonia-shaped consecrated lights on the abdomen, with four literati allusions painted inside: Wang Xizhi's love for orchids, Tao Yuanming's love for chrysanthemums, Zhou Dunyi's love for lotus, Lin Hejing's love for plum blossoms, and He. The "Four Loves" theme carries the Confucian gentleman's character and literati ideals. It is the continuation and sublimation of the Han cultural tradition on the porcelain of the Yuan Dynasty. It integrates the artistic conception of traditional calligraphy and painting into the porcelain glaze, fully displaying the aesthetic taste and spiritual pursuit of the literati of the Yuan Dynasty.
The miniature sheet is based on a Yuan blue and white underglaze red can with a lid and appliqué. It came from the Yuan Dynasty cellar in Baoding and is now in the Hebei Museum. This jar embodies the masterpieces of porcelain making in the Yuan Dynasty. The lid is made of a squatting lion button, the shoulders of the jar are decorated with Ruyi cloud patterns, and the four groups of rhombus-shaped openings on the abdomen are molded with four-season flowers and rocks. The branches and leaves are outlined in blue and white, and the flowers are dyed with red dots in the glaze. The red and blue contrast with each other, creating a three-dimensional look. Both blue and white and underglaze red are high-temperature underglaze colors. Their firing temperatures and kiln atmosphere requirements are very different. It is extremely difficult to fire in the same kiln at one time, and the yield is extremely low. In addition, the superposition of multiple processes such as molding, engraving, carving and lighting represents the highest technical barrier for the Jingdezhen kiln industry in the Yuan Dynasty.
China Philatelic Co., Ltd. simultaneously issued a set of 5 first-day covers and a set of 1 type cover. This set of first-day covers and leaflet covers uses blue and white porcelain cultural relics as the core design subject. Each piece uses a cultural relic corresponding to a stamp as the center of the picture. The cultural relics use a three-dimensional convex process to make the shape, glaze and decoration form touchable undulations on the paper surface, enhancing the touch feel and the realism of the artifact.
