With over 850 illustrations, 704 in colour and six maps

This is an indispensable resource for all collectors, connoisseurs and students of Chinese ceramics, as well as anyone with an interest in Asia’s rich cultural heritage.

In over 700 specially taken colour photographs a wide range of imperial and regional, decorative and practical, export and domestic, ceremonial and funerary wares are fully represented, organized into chronological sections, from the Neolithic to the end of the Qing dynasty, each accompanied by a survey of the period and detailed descriptions of the pieces illustrated.

Systematic study of Chinese ceramics, begun in the eighteenth century, was greatly enlarged in the twentieth century, and extensive excavations at kiln sites have yielded invaluable new insights into the chronological development of ceramic forms, glaze types and decorative styles.

Drawing on the extraordinary collection housed in the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, this remarkable book cites the latest scientific and archaeological evidence, examining provenance, technique, archaeological and historical context, and ancient traditions of Chinese connoisseurship and patronage to provide an integrated and highly detailed approach to the subject.

The notes on the plates are further illustrated with photographs of base marks, a vital aid in the identification process. An important reference section includes a glossary of technical terms, complete with Chinese characters; a bibliography; and lists of major public collections.

He Li was born in Shanxi Province, China, in 1950. She was trained at the Palace Museum, Beijing, and the Idemitsu Museum, Tokyo, two of the world’s major repositories of Chinese ceramics. After graduating in Art History from the University of Kansas she joined the staff of the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, where she is Associate Curator of Chinese Art.
The photographs were specially taken by Kazuhiro Tsuruta.