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The [[Ming Dynasty]] was perhaps a high point in the production of porcelain, from a connoisseurial / art history perspective at least, and the "Ming vase" remains a stereotypical example of extremely valuable objects in popular culture (at least in the United States, e.g. on television sitcoms and elsewhere) today. The reign of the [[Yongle Emperor]] (r. [[1402]]-[[1424]]) is known for its white porcelain wares, while that of the [[Xuande Emperor]] (r. [[1426]]-[[1435]]) is cited as seeing the rise in popularity of blue-and-white porcelains (decorated using cobalt blue), perhaps the most classic or stereotypical style of Chinese porcelains still today. Under the [[Zhengtong Emperor]] (r. [[1435]]-[[1449]]), private sales of blue-and-white porcelain were banned, and its production and sale was placed under an Imperial monopoly. One of the chief kiln sites was at [[Jingdezhen]] in [[Jiangxi province]], and works from there are still highly valued today. By the end of that century, however, the monopoly had significant leaks, and blue-and-white porcelain was beginning to be exported in considerable volumes, including to the Netherlands (and elsewhere in Europe), and to Persia, where blue-on-white ceramics were first developed.

The [[Ming Dynasty]] was perhaps a high point in the production of porcelain, from a connoisseurial / art history perspective at least, and the "Ming vase" remains a stereotypical example of extremely valuable objects in popular culture (at least in the United States, e.g. on television sitcoms and elsewhere) today. The reign of the [[Yongle Emperor]] (r. [[1402]]-[[1424]]) is known for its white porcelain wares, while that of the [[Xuande Emperor]] (r. [[1426]]-[[1435]]) is cited as seeing the rise in popularity of blue-and-white porcelains (decorated using cobalt blue), perhaps the most classic or stereotypical style of Chinese porcelains still today. Under the [[Zhengtong Emperor]] (r. [[1435]]-[[1449]]), private sales of blue-and-white porcelain were banned, and its production and sale was placed under an Imperial monopoly. One of the chief kiln sites was at [[Jingdezhen]] in [[Jiangxi province]], and works from there are still highly valued today. By the end of that century, however, the monopoly had significant leaks, and blue-and-white porcelain was beginning to be exported in considerable volumes, including to the Netherlands (and elsewhere in Europe), and to Persia, where blue-on-white ceramics were first developed.

The first porcelain kilns in Japan were established by a Korean potter, [[Yi Sam-pyeong]] (J: Ri Sampei, [[1579]]-[[1655]]), who also brought the beginning of [[Arita wares]].<ref>Angela Schottenhammer, ''The East Asian Mediterranean: Maritime Crossroads of Culture, Commerce and Human Migration'', Otto Harrassowitz Verlag (2008), 2.</ref> The [[Nabeshima clan]] lords of [[Saga han]] made their domain a prominent center of porcelain production, maintaining an official monopoly on [[Nabeshima wares]], and from [[1805]], [[Imari porcelain]].

The first porcelain kilns in Japan were established by a Korean potter, [[Yi Sam-pyeong]] (J: Ri Sampei, [[1579]]-[[1655]]), who also brought the beginning of [[Arita wares]].<ref>Angela Schottenhammer, ''The East Asian Mediterranean: Maritime Crossroads of Culture, Commerce and Human Migration'', Otto Harrassowitz Verlag (2008), 2.</ref> The [[Nabeshima clan]] lords of [[Saga han]] made their domain a prominent center of porcelain production, maintaining an official monopoly on [[Nabeshima wares]], and from [[1805]], [[Imari porcelain]].