The Wucai Fish Jar: A Gem of the Eastern Renaissance

Liang-Lin Chen, specialist in Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art at Christie’s in Hong Kong, explains the ‘deceptively simple’ composition of this vessel made for the Jiajing emperor.
In the Jiajing period, an era of the Ming dynasty that stretched from 1522–66, the production of wucai, or ‘five enamel’ vessels, reached new heights in both quality and quantity. Prior to the reign of the Jiajing emperor, Imperial kilns primarily produced small objects suitable for handling. But in the Jiajing reign, porcelain began to be produced on a larger scale — a major breakthrough in porcelain technology.
This fish jar is the earliest type of large polychrome-decorated porcelain made by the Imperial kilns. With a height of 46cm, it was made in sections. Painted in wucai with underglaze blue, it required firing at least three times because of its complex colour scheme. The technique conveys an auspicious message, wishing the Emperor ‘fortune as vast as heaven.’
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