Interior with underglaze blue decoration of stylistic dragon against a yellow background. Inner and outer lip with underglaze blue double ring border. Exterior with two dragons, clouds, and flaming pearl design.

Though yellow glaze goes back to the Han dynasty, the Hongzhi (Hung Chih) reign of the Ming dynasty is considered the birth of perfection in this genre. Two types are known, low and high temperature, with each producing a slightly different color and texture. This example is of the first, with a second firing at low temperature causing a soft yellow versus the bright Imperial yellow. Click here for an understanding of this color.