Since the early Ming period (1368-1644), decoration in cobalt blue has been the hallmark of imperial ware. We recognize imperial pieces by their reign marks. The tradition of inscribing porcelain with the emperor’s name began during the Yongle reign (1402-1424). Marks have four or six characters designating the dynasty and the name of the ruling emperor.

At court, porcelain did not solely function as a “work of art,” as modern eyes might assume, but as an indispensable category of utilitarian wares. Within the Qing imperial precincts, contemporary porcelains fell into three distinct types: dayun (mass-produced pieces for daily use) chuanban (imperial order), and gongci (porcelain tribute). Each played a role within the intricate fabric of imperial life and administration.

Gongci, or porcelain for tributes, brings together old and new objects. It includes porcelain made at the imperial kilns in Jingdezhen that were overseen by the kilns’ superintendents, rather than by emperors. Extraordinary objects were sometimes offered to the emperor to gain favour. Pieces dating back to the Song-to-Ming periods were also highly prized as antiquities and housed in specific palaces as part of the imperial collection, epitomizing ceramic connoisseurship.