Blue-and-white porcelain goblet

The 9.4-cm-high blue-and-white porcelain goblet is held in the Cultural Relics and Archaeology Institute of Inner Mongolia. The exterior surface of the goblet is painted with chrysanthemum, which was a fashionable design in the Yuan Dynasty.

Influences from Foreign Lands: Exotic Flavors in Blue and White Porcelain

The exotic blue-and-white porcelains of the third group, feature a distinctive Islamic style. During the Yuan Dynasty, navigation saw a boom, and porcelain began being exported to Western countries. Six pieces of antique blue and white porcelain utensils kept in Iranian museums fall into this category.

Blue-and-white porcelain plates from Iran

They look very different from the collections in China. To adapt to the social and life customs of Islamic regions and the habits of nomadic people, large porcelain utensils with explicit Islamic artistic style were produced. These were warmly welcomed and well received by Islamic people and widely circulated at home. Foreign influences give the blue and white porcelain an exotic air characterized with thick color and more complicated patterns.

Lively, colorful and vivid, the blue and white porcelain developed its unique style among all the porcelain works created during the Yuan Dynasty. Sketched on fired unglazed pottery, colored with cobalt material and painted under glaze, the imagination of different cultures created gorgeous artistic works. The glaze of blue and white porcelain is transparent and the blue designs on a white body make it appear elegant, fresh and full of vigor, even to this day.

After three months at Beijing's Capital Museum, the exhibition will continue on a nationwide tour – so look out and check your calendar.

Editor: Dong Jirong