Chapter 1535: Ming Xiaozong, one emperor through the ages
According to records in the history of the Ming Dynasty, it was stipulated during the Hongwu period that officials were not allowed to use black, yellow and purple colors for their clothes and curtains.
By the time of Emperor Yingzong of the Ming Dynasty, yellow was already exclusive to the royal family, and no one other than the royal family was allowed to use it.
The official kiln in Jingzhen had already been established in the Yuan Dynasty.
The rulers of the Yuan Dynasty were not sensitive to yellow, and the firing of yellow glaze was more troublesome, so naturally there was no progress.
During the Yongle period of the Ming Dynasty, official kilns had been developing methods for firing yellow glazes, and they finally achieved results during the Hongzhi period.
Yellow glaze became a royal porcelain exclusively used by the royal family. In order to prevent the recipe from spreading to the people, the secret recipes of the royal kilns were strictly controlled, making it difficult for private craftsmen to obtain these secret recipes.
Yellow-glazed porcelain is so precious, so today at the auction, the yellow-glazed porcelain artworks from the Hongzhi period that we saw were all sold at very high prices.’
This also reaffirms the value and status of Hongzhi yellow-glazed imperial porcelain.
In fact, the delicate yellow porcelain produced during the Hongzhi period was an unexpected surprise.
Hongzhi yellow glazed porcelain is the supreme yellow porcelain of all dynasties, with unexpected beauty in the prosperous age!
There is nothing we can do about this. For example, the Qing Dynasty was the heyday of the development of porcelain. Whether it was multicolored, pastel or enamel porcelain, it all developed under the attention and support of the supreme ruler.
During the Hongzhi period, Emperor Xiaozong of the Ming Dynasty basically did not care about the porcelain firing in the imperial kiln.
During his reign, he practiced frugality and had no fun.
Although the Ming Dynasty ushered in the prosperity of the Ming Dynasty, only the palace art did not achieve rapid development.
The porcelain of the Hongzhi Dynasty is not as famous as the porcelain of the Yongle, Xuande and Chenghua years, both in terms of quantity and quality.
Although we always admire the exquisiteness of royal official kiln porcelain in museums.
But at that time, firing a large number of official kilns would definitely waste people and money.
Emperor Xiaozong of Ming Dynasty was deeply aware of this, so he hardly asked about kiln affairs during his reign.
And his father, Ming Xianzong, was a typical fun-loving emperor.
After his death, he left behind many skilled craftsmen.
Therefore, no matter how diligent and frugal Hongzhi was, the royal sacrificial system was still indispensable.
According to historical records, Emperor Xiaozong of the Ming Dynasty was resentful that burning porcelain wasted people and money, and once wanted to order the abolition of the imperial kiln factory.
Empress Zhang quickly advised her that even if the porcelain used by the royal family could be spared, the porcelain used in the sacrificial ceremony was definitely indispensable.
If the imperial kiln factory is abandoned and the ancestral rules are openly challenged, not only the royal family and court officials will be dissatisfied, but the people will also feel that the emperor has violated the ancestors of heaven and earth.
Emperor Xiaozong of Ming Dynasty thought about this and gave up this decision.
The imperial kilns of the Hongzhi Dynasty mainly produced porcelain for sacrificial ceremonies.
According to the "Da Ming Hui Dian" established during the Hongwu period, the porcelain used for sacrifices is divided into four colors: red, yellow, white and green.
Emperor Xiaozong of the Ming Dynasty ordered the imperial kiln factory to abandon all other varieties of porcelain and concentrate on firing single-color porcelain.
It is because of this that the yellow-glazed porcelain of the Hongzhi period had a breakthrough development.
It is also because of this that it has become so delicate and yellow that it is the most prosperous in history!
The yellow glazed porcelain produced during the Hongzhi period was the first yellow porcelain produced by official kilns in the past dynasties, and it was difficult for subsequent dynasties to surpass it.
During the Zhengde period, the color of yellow-glazed porcelain gradually became darker, and subsequent dynasties could not reach the level of the Hongzhi period.
Because the success of Jiaohuang Porcelain during the Hongzhi period was so unexpected, there is also an interesting folk legend.
This legend explains why during the Hongzhi period, yellow porcelain alone made a huge leap.
It turns out that Empress Zhang and Ming Xiaozong had a deep love for each other. Empress Zhang was a virtuous mother of a country, but her brother took advantage of his sister's status to become arrogant and domineering.
Emperor Xiaozong of the Ming Dynasty only had one queen in his life, and he lived with her like common people.
He didn't want his brother-in-law's affairs to hurt the harmony between the couple, nor did he want this moth to continue harming the court and harming the people.
So he thought of a way to give some advice to his brother-in-law.
One day, Emperor Xiaozong of the Ming Dynasty invited Empress Zhang's family to have dinner with them. While they were enjoying the meal, the kiln superintendent presented the newly fired sacrificial porcelain.
Emperor Xiaozong of the Ming Dynasty picked up the yellow porcelain and asked, "What kind of porcelain is this?"
The kiln governor said: "This is pouring yellow glaze."
Emperor Xiaozong of the Ming Dynasty looked at the guest seats with a pointed look, and said casually: "Water yellow, pour yellow, and arrogance will lead to yellow (death)."
At this point, everyone knew that Ming Xiaozong was beating his brother-in-law, and they did not dare to say anything.
Emperor Xiaozong of the Ming Dynasty added: "Although the color is good, we must carefully control the heat."
Everyone looked unhappy, but the kiln supervisor took down Ming Xiaozong's words very seriously.
After returning home, I thought about it carefully and realized that Emperor Xiaozong of the Ming Dynasty was very satisfied with Jiaohuang porcelain.
The craftsmen of the imperial kiln had never seen Emperor Xiaozong of the Ming Dynasty so interested in porcelain, and they were even more attentive to the firing of yellow-glazed porcelain.
Therefore, even in this emperor who never paid much attention to, or even suppressed the imperial kilns a little bit, in his dynasty, such famous porcelain appeared that could be passed down through the ages.
There is also Ming Xiaozong, plus the reign name of Hongzhi, the world must remember it.
Not because he was an emperor, nor because of how good the porcelain he produced this time was, but because, among the big family of the Chinese nation, he was a uniquely good emperor.
The emperors we come into contact with now, this one is the emperor through the ages, and that one is the great emperor, are they really good emperors?
Not to mention anything else, during the Ming Dynasty, Ming Xiaozong was deeply sought after among the people, and he was called the emperor of the ages.
This is not a self-proclaimed emperor, but a title that is unanimous among the people.
Although his reign was short, even the imperial porcelain he used bore the mark of justice and integrity.
In contrast, Cixi, another ruler in Chinese history who preferred yellow-glazed porcelain, was known for her extravagance and immorality.
Each piece of her exquisitely crafted special porcelain is covered with the exploited wealth and treasure of the people.
Yellow glazed porcelain is born with gold and gold, and carries the connotation of the emperor, the queen, and the earth.
It was taken over by the rulers for their own use, and they all hoped that this noble yellow-glazed porcelain would bring them eternal dignity.
However, there are few emperors in history who are as transparent as Emperor Hongzhi.
He understood that the peace and prosperity of the country and the dignity of the royal family were not demonstrated by these luxury goods and works of art.
During his reign, he never indulged in pleasure for a day, nor did he leave behind any rare treasures.
Only this porcelain, which represents the black and yellow colors of heaven and earth, truly represents the spirit of this era.
It is worth mentioning that Emperor Hongzhi of the Ming Dynasty had a deep and devoted relationship with Empress Zhang throughout his life.
This is very rare. He worked hard during his reign and was an emperor with a very good reputation.
If the emperors of the Ming Dynasty came to compete, Emperor Hongzhi would definitely sit firmly and be deeply in love.
Not only that, Emperor Hongzhi also had very high attainments in art.
The exquisite yellow-glazed porcelain that has been handed down to this day is enough to show the emperor's extraordinary aesthetics.
It is a pity that such a good emperor did not leave much good reputation. Why?
Isn’t it because the History of the Ming Dynasty was revised with the help of the Manchu and Qing Dynasties? Isn’t it ironic? Otherwise, the Manchu and Qing Dynasties could have produced one emperor for all eternity?