Re-Dating the "Yuan" Blue-and-White Porcelain Excavated from Noble Tombs in the Ming Dynasty

This essay examines the blue-and-white wares excavated from the tombs of generals and princes in the Ming dynasty (1368-1644). Based on John Alexander Pope's definition of "fourteenth-century blue-and-white style," the excavated wares have long been recognized as products of the Yuan dynasty (1271-1368), and thus considered to be antiques or booty from the battles of the dead. However, the style of these wares can be differentiated from the "fourteenth-century blue-and-white style" in terms of ornament pattern and decoration composition. By referring to other well-dated Ming blue-and white porcelain with similar ornament and the dating of these tombs, this essay suggests that the excavated wares were from the Ming instead of Yuan dynasty.