Ming Ceramics
MING STYLE
In what’s considered a golden age of Chinese furniture, Ming dynasty artisans produced expertly made designs that married elegance and function. Ming furniture was versatile, such as tables that doubled as writing desks and dining spaces. But it was also beautiful, enhancing a room with clean lines, soft curves and sophisticated decoration.
Dating from 1368 to 1644, the Ming dynasty was a vibrant time for international trade and culture. Especially for scholars and the wealthy, there was an emphasis on a home’s design to promote a good life. From large wardrobes to angular sofas, Ming-style furniture was defined by its joinery, which, instead of nails, involved meticulously designed interlocking elements of wood. This material was carefully selected and positioned to make the grain part of the design. The slow-growing huanghuali, a yellowish rosewood, was particularly valued for its bright color.
Although ornamentation was minimal, Ming dynasty furniture often featured carved or painted details of flowers, insects, dragons, fruits and other motifs. Chairs crafted for scholars could include calligraphic brush writing. As overseas trade expanded, techniques from the West, like cloisonné enamel painting, adorned table screens and other pieces.
Ming furniture influenced styles abroad such as Queen Anne in England and Hollywood Regency in the United States. The curved shape of Ming armchairs had a profound impact on legendary Scandinavian modernist furniture designer Hans Wegner. The Danish cabinetmaker shared the Ming artisans’ interest in creating streamlined, functional furnishings, and his China chair, Round chair and Wishbone chair are inspired by Ming dynasty seating. Today, the Ming-style horseshoe chair is a graceful and sought-after type of seat, and contemporary Chinese designers such as Jerry Chen and Gan Erke are also drawing on this heritage for a new era of style.
Find a collection of Ming cabinets, decorative objects, lounge chairs and other furniture on 1stDibs.
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Style: Ming
Antique Chinese Porcelain Figural Dish Late Ming Tianqi or CHongzhen
Located in Amsterdam, Noord Holland
A very nicely decorated plate with a scene figures in a landscape
10-8-19-1-6
Condition
/ Overall Condition. Rimfritting, only. 206mm
Period
17th century Ming (1368 - 1620)
Category
16th Century Chinese Antique Ming Ceramics
Materials
Porcelain
$2,050 Sale Price
20% Off
Antique Ming 1620-1644 Chinese Porcelain Kosometsuke Waterfall Plate Kintsugi
Located in Amsterdam, Noord Holland
A Chinese blue and white porcelain Dish of beautiful shape and design. With a stunning waterfall scene.
Early 17th century, marked at base.
Condition
kintsugi restored spot at rima...
Category
17th Century Chinese Antique Ming Ceramics
Materials
Porcelain
17c Antique Chinese Porcelain Master of the Rocks Bowl Shunzhi / Kangxi
Located in Amsterdam, Noord Holland
Sharing with you this fantastic early Kangxi bowl
17th century
Decorated to the exterior with fishermen in an extensive river landscape, the base marked ‘Guang Yu Tang Zhi’, which may be translated as ‘The Hall of Abundant Brightness’.
Diam. 11.4 cm
The 'Master of the Rocks', is a term that was coined by the English collector Gerald Reitlinger, whose collection is now in the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford...
Category
17th Century Chinese Antique Ming Ceramics
Materials
Porcelain
$5,814 Sale Price
20% Off
20CM Antique Chinese 17C Chongzhen Transitional Chinese Porcelain Tankard
Located in Amsterdam, Noord Holland
A very nicely decorated and large tankard in underglaze blue. With a figural scene. Visible is a literatus in a garden scene with 2 servants.
Similar pieces are sold here:
Countr...
Category
17th Century Chinese Antique Ming Ceramics
Materials
Porcelain
$5,721 Sale Price
20% Off
Large Set of Chinese 17th Century Porcelain Ming Dynasty Plates Chenghua Marked
Located in Amsterdam, Noord Holland
The exact selection can vary from the picture due to stock changes.
A set of 30 plates from the early 17th century. Variation on a theme. Late Ming dynasty blue and white...
Category
17th Century Chinese Antique Ming Ceramics
Materials
Porcelain
$29,828 Sale Price / set
20% Off
Antique Chinese Porcelain Ming Wanli / Tianqi Playing Go Landscape Plate
Located in Amsterdam, Noord Holland
15-7-19-1-2
Typical late Ming landscape dish. A very nice example!
Condition
Overall condition A (Very good) rimfritting, filled chip and 2 hairlines. Size 160 mm
Period...
Category
16th Century Chinese Antique Ming Ceramics
Materials
Porcelain
$2,610 Sale Price
20% Off
Large Early 20th Century Tianqiuping or Globular Cloisonné Vase
Located in Miami, FL
Large early 20th century tianqiuping or globular cloisonné vase. Highest quality enamel cloisonné, withe background with graphic scenes and floral pattern and with three large frame ...
Category
Early 20th Century Chinese Ming Ceramics
Materials
Ceramic
$1,575 Sale Price
30% Off
Antique Chinese 16/17C Chinese Porcelain Dish Swatow landscape Pagode Enamel
Located in Amsterdam, Noord Holland
Large Ming Dynasty Zhangzhou (Swatow) Ware Charger – c.1600 – Red, Green & Turquoise Enamels
An exceptional and richly decorated large Zhangzhou (Swatow) ware charger, dating to the...
Category
17th Century Chinese Antique Ming Ceramics
Materials
Porcelain
Antique Chinese 16/17C Chinese Porcelain Ming Transitional Kraak Plate FROG
Located in Amsterdam, Noord Holland
Description
A very nicely decorated plate with a Frog on on a rock in a landscape scene. Wanli, Tianqi or Chongzhen Period 1590 – 1640
With a nice moulded double chrysanthemum ...
Category
17th Century Chinese Antique Ming Ceramics
Materials
Porcelain
$2,794 Sale Price
20% Off
Pair of Ming Dynasty Bowls with Pattern of Interlocking Hexagons
Located in Atlanta, GA
Pair of Ming Dynasty Bowls with Pattern of Interlocking Hexagons, Wanli period (1572-1620).
This handsome pair of bowls with a slightly fluted rim features an outer pattern of hexago...
Category
16th Century Chinese Antique Ming Ceramics
Materials
Porcelain
$1,500 Sale Price / set
39% Off
Antique Ming Period Kosometsuke Poem Go Players Cricket Box Chinese Porcelain
Located in Amsterdam, Noord Holland
Excited and really happy to share this box. Incense or Cricket Box
In the pictures you will see a very nice Cricket box / Incense box with Poem. Typical Literati taste for Scholars ...
Category
17th Century Chinese Antique Ming Ceramics
Materials
Porcelain
Antique Chinese Porcelain 17C Porcelain Ming Wanli Kraak Lotus Flowers Pond
Located in Amsterdam, Noord Holland
Description
Rare and nicely decorated dish on footring, spreading sides circular rim. Ca 1590-1620.
With a central scene of a Lotus pond, the sides with anhua/moulded decoration of...
Category
17th Century Chinese Antique Ming Ceramics
Materials
Porcelain
A Chinese blue and white porcelain Dish of beautiful shape and design. With a st
Located in Amsterdam, Noord Holland
A Chinese blue and white porcelain Dish of beautiful shape and design. With a stunning waterfall scene.
Early 17th century, marked at base.
Condition
kintsugi restored spot at rima...
Category
17th Century Chinese Antique Ming Ceramics
Materials
Porcelain
Antique Octagonal Blue and White Dish Wanli Tianqi Chinese Porcelain Figural
Located in Amsterdam, Noord Holland
OCTAGONAL BLUE-AND-WHITE DISH WANLI / TIANOI. C.1610-1625
The dish has a flat centre, a small cavetto and a broad eight-sided flange. The shallow unglazed footring has been trimmed w...
Category
17th Century Chinese Antique Ming Ceramics
Materials
Porcelain
$2,086 Sale Price
20% Off
Reference Chinese Porcelain Book - Kraak Porcelain: A Moment in the History o
Located in Amsterdam, Noord Holland
Maura Rinaldi Kraak Porcelain: A Moment in the History of Trade
98 colour and black and white plates, maps and drawings, bibliography and index. Foreword by Dr. Christian J.A. Jorg,...
Category
17th Century Chinese Antique Ming Ceramics
Materials
Porcelain
Kosometsuke 17C Chinese Porcelain Ming Period Kaiseki Dish Tianqi / Chongzhen
Located in Amsterdam, Noord Holland
Sharing with you this lovely and unusual Chinese porcelain Kaiseki dish from the late Ming period, Tianqi/Chongzhen period most. Jingdezhen made for the Japanese market.
Origin: C...
Category
17th Century Chinese Antique Ming Ceramics
Materials
Porcelain
Antique Chinese 17th Century Porcelain Ming/Transitional Plate Boys with Bird
Located in Amsterdam, Noord Holland
A very nicely decorated plate.
A late Ming Ko-Sometsuke porcelain dish, Wanli or Tianqi period, 1600-1627.
This Kaiseki blue and white porcelain serving dish is decorated with two ...
Category
17th Century Chinese Antique Ming Ceramics
Materials
Porcelain
$3,076 Sale Price
20% Off
Antique Wanli Ming Chinese Porcelain Kraak Klapmuts. Top Quality DEER
Located in Amsterdam, Noord Holland
A very nicely potted and painted kraak Klapmuts of a desirable quality. Stunning piece with beautiful and classical scene.
Absolute top Quality kraak ware
Condition
Minimal frittin...
Category
17th Century Chinese Antique Ming Ceramics
Materials
Porcelain
$2,459 Sale Price
20% Off
Chinese Stoneware Funeral Shrine Model and Figure Ming Dynasty
Located in Atlanta, GA
A stoneware shrine model with a figurine made in Ming dynasty (15th-17th century) in China and used as funeral burial objects. It is not known whether the two objects were originally associated, but they display similar glaze and oxidation and were in the same collection. The stoneware building is an architectural rendering of a typical ancestor shrine used at the time. It features a single room behind an elaborate front with double doors, under a multiple layered eaves. There are great architectural and decorative details throughout. The green glaze shows a wonderful silvery oxidation, an indication that the piece was buried in the ground. The side appears to be glazed lightly originally and some scrape marks and oxidized glaze residues remains. The back is unglazed. The figure is a typical tomb figurine...
Category
16th Century Chinese Antique Ming Ceramics
Materials
Stoneware
Chinese Ming Dynasty Period Green Glazed Miniature Armoire with Bracket Feet
Located in Yonkers, NY
A Chinese Ming Dynasty period miniature terracotta armoire with green glazed finish and bracket feet. Created in China during the Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644), this exquisite miniature...
Category
17th Century Chinese Antique Ming Ceramics
Materials
Terracotta
A 17th C. Chinese Chongzhen Blue & White Minyao “Peoples Wares” Porcelain Bowl
Located in Ottawa, Ontario
The central field showing a medallion of overlapping petal motifs, radiating out to auspicious Chou character (twisted peach tree) & lotus blossom designs, segmented by undulating li...
Category
Mid-17th Century Chinese Antique Ming Ceramics
Materials
Porcelain
Antique Chinese 17th Century Blue White Shunzhi / Kangxi Lotus Pond Porcelain
Located in Amsterdam, Noord Holland
A very nicely and rare decorated plate. Transitional / Early Qing, late 17th century.
Decorated with lotus pond
Condition
1 line, 2 small glaze line to rim (1 only visible out...
Category
17th Century Chinese Antique Ming Ceramics
Materials
Porcelain
$1,396 Sale Price
20% Off
Antique Chinese 16C Sancai Biscuit Green and Yellow Ghendi porcelain/earthenware
Located in Amsterdam, Noord Holland
This is a small Ming dynasty moulded sancai funerary covered box with ribbed sides. On top of the covered box, it has a moulded design of flowers. It has a low footrim with a mildly ...
Category
17th Century Chinese Antique Ming Ceramics
Materials
Porcelain
$1,154 Sale Price
20% Off
Antique Ming Period Xieyi Kosometsuke Landscape Chinese Porcelain Kaiseki Dish
Located in Amsterdam, Noord Holland
A very nicely potted and painted blue and white Kosometsuke Kaiseki dish plate of a desirable cobalt blue!
Stunning piece with design of a landscape in the style of the yuan painter ...
Category
17th Century Chinese Antique Ming Ceramics
Materials
Porcelain
$7,585 Sale Price
20% Off
Enamel Bronze Mask Censer in the Shape of a Bell Bird, Japan, Edo or Meiji
Located in Amsterdam, Noord Holland
A tripod polychrome cloisonné incense burner, decorated with characters and masks. Unmarked, Japan, 19th century. Provenance: collection Nieuwenhove.
Condition
Overall ...
Category
19th Century Japanese Antique Ming Ceramics
Materials
Bronze
$1,864 Sale Price
20% Off
Chinese 17th Century Porcelain Ming Transitional China Plate Zhangzhou Verte
Located in Amsterdam, Noord Holland
A very nicely decorated plate. Ming period. South Chinese Ming Zhangzhou Swatow. Three friends of winter with birds
21-10-19-1-8
Three friends of winter with birds
...
Category
17th Century Chinese Antique Ming Ceramics
Materials
Porcelain
$2,330 Sale Price
20% Off
Ming Dynasty Celadon Glazed Charger
Located in Stamford, CT
Ming dynasty celadon glazed charger having fluted interior with plain well center.
Category
Mid-17th Century Chinese Antique Ming Ceramics
Materials
Ceramic
Antique Ming Period Fish and Shrimp Kosometsuke Chinese Porcelain Kaiseki Dish
Located in Amsterdam, Noord Holland
A very nicely potted and painted blue and white Kosometsuke Kaiseki dish plate of a desirable cobalt blue!
Stunning piece with design of fish shrimp and seaweed.
Condition
Some frit...
Category
17th Century Chinese Antique Ming Ceramics
Materials
Porcelain
$7,585 Sale Price
20% Off
Antique Chinese Porcelain 17th Century Late Ming Chinese Japanese Taste Plate
Located in Amsterdam, Noord Holland
A very nicely decorated plate with a scene flowers. Very rare and very modern design. Domestic market or Japanese market from Jingdezhen. Late Ming Wanli or Tianqi. Top Quality
28...
Category
17th Century Chinese Antique Ming Ceramics
Materials
Porcelain
$7,457 Sale Price
20% Off
Antique 16C Chinese Porcelain Phoenix Fenghuang Dish Cloud Motif Marked
Located in Amsterdam, Noord Holland
A very nicely decorated Plate, 4th quarter 16th century.
Small dish on footring, wide flat rim. Decorated in underglaze blue with a striding phoenix in schematically rendered landscape with a cloud motif. The sides and rim are undecorated. On the base a mark in seal script, possibly shou (long life)
Pictured in:
A Selection from the Collection of Oriental Ceramics...
Category
17th Century Chinese Antique Ming Ceramics
Materials
Porcelain
$2,143 Sale Price
20% Off
A 17th C. Chinese Chongzhen Blue & White Minyao “Peoples Wares” Porcelain Saucer
Located in Ottawa, Ontario
The central field showing a medallion of overlapping petal motifs, radiating out to auspicious Chou character (twisted peach tree) & lotus blossom designs, segmented by undulating li...
Category
Mid-17th Century Chinese Antique Ming Ceramics
Materials
Porcelain
Antique Chinese Granary Jar
Located in Yonkers, NY
A 17th century Antique Chinese Granary Jar hand made from terracotta with a verdigris patina. Unearth an enthralling piece of history with...
Category
17th Century Chinese Antique Ming Ceramics
Materials
Terracotta
30.4cm Kosometsuke Antique Chinese Porcelain Dish 17 C Ming Literatus Children
Located in Amsterdam, Noord Holland
Condition
1 restuck piece with a line and with some paint of the repainting remaining. Lower part of the restuck piece is with kintsugi. Some fritting. Size 303x36mm diameterxhigh
...
Category
16th Century Chinese Antique Ming Ceramics
Materials
Porcelain
$2,703 Sale Price
20% Off
Antique Chinese 17c Kosometsuke Tianqi/Chongzhen Porcelain Boys in Lands
Located in Amsterdam, Noord Holland
A very nicely decorated plate. Late Ming.
Condition:
2 line and rimfritting/mushikui. Size: 146 x 30mm
Period:
17th century transitional (1620-1661).
Category
17th Century Chinese Antique Ming Ceramics
Materials
Porcelain
$1,631 Sale Price
20% Off
Petit Chinese Ming Dynasty 17th Century Terracotta Granary with Verdigris Patina
Located in Yonkers, NY
A 17th century Chinese Ming Dynasty granary hand made from terracotta with a verdigris patina. This exquisite 17th century Chinese Ming Dynasty granary, meticulously handcrafted from...
Category
17th Century Chinese Antique Ming Ceramics
Materials
Terracotta
Petite Chinese Ming Dynasty Period Glazed Table with Polychrome Finish
Located in Yonkers, NY
A petite Chinese Ming Dynasty glazed table from the 15th or 16th century with polychrome finish. This petite Chinese Ming Dynasty glazed table from the 15th or 16th century captivates with its polychrome finish and refined proportions. Crafted during the celebrated Ming period, the table features a rectangular top that gracefully rests above an elegantly carved base. The arching apron below is adorned with delicate curves, further enhanced by a delightful palette of green, black, and yellow tones, showcasing the artistic spirit of the era.
The polychrome glaze, subtly weathered by time, adds character and a sense of history, making this table a charming addition to any interior. Whether displayed as a standalone piece or paired with other decorative elements, this antique Ming Dynasty table...
Category
16th Century Chinese Antique Ming Ceramics
Materials
Terracotta
Antique Chinese Porcelain 17th C Kosometsuke Literati City Kosometsuke
Located in Amsterdam, Noord Holland
Description
A very nicely decorated kosometsuke plate with a rare scene of a scholar and attendant reaching a city. The lower boats shows some fishermen in boats and waves. The border has fans and geometric designs. Underglaze blue enamels.
Keeping save Box included
Symbolism
A traveller in a...
Category
17th Century Chinese Antique Ming Ceramics
Materials
Porcelain
$2,608 Sale Price
20% Off
Antique Chinese Porcelain Ming Transitional China Plate Zhangzhou Verte
Located in Amsterdam, Noord Holland
Very nicely decorated plate. Ming period. South Chinese Ming ZHangzhou Swatow. Scene of boat on a sea
22-10-19-1-1
Condition
Overall condition; Rimfritting, ...
Category
17th Century Chinese Antique Ming Ceramics
Materials
Porcelain
$1,771 Sale Price
20% Off
Antique Meiji Period 19 / 20C Japanese Porcelain Swan/Geese Charger Arita
Located in Amsterdam, Noord Holland
Haring with you this very nice piece with what seems to be 2 flying swans. They could also be Geese.
Unmarked at base.
Condition
Perfect, just some frits to base rim. Size: 37...
Category
19th Century Chinese Antique Ming Ceramics
Materials
Porcelain
$2,143 Sale Price
20% Off
Antique Chinese Wanli / Tianqi Kosometsuke Plate 1600-1644 Porcelain Ming Monk
Located in Amsterdam, Noord Holland
Lovely plate great scene of a monk
Marked at base.
Condition
1 line to rim and some rimfritting/mushikui. 2 firing flaws in base, 1 next to rim and 1 in circle. Size: 188 x 23...
Category
17th Century Chinese Antique Ming Ceramics
Materials
Porcelain
$2,796 Sale Price
20% Off
Antique Chinese 17th Century Kosometsuke Tianqi/Chongzhen Dish Porcelain Playing
Located in Amsterdam, Noord Holland
A very nicely decorated plate. Late Ming. Boys playing
For similar examples of this listing see:
S. Marchant & Son (2008). Ming Porcelain for the Japanese Market: ko-sometsuke ...
Category
17th Century Chinese Antique Ming Ceramics
Materials
Porcelain
$1,677 Sale Price
20% Off
Antique Chinese Taste Kosometsuke Tianqi/Chongzhen Dish Porcelain Go players
Located in Amsterdam, Noord Holland
A very nicely decorated plate. Late Ming. Go players in a mountain landscape under a palm tree and next to a pavillion. Dish on high foot.
For similar examples of this listing see...
Category
17th Century Chinese Antique Ming Ceramics
Materials
Porcelain
$1,677 Sale Price
20% Off
Chinese Blue & White Pale Celadon Dishes, Pair
Located in Astoria, NY
Pair of Chinese Blue and White Pale Celadon Porcelain Dishes, Ming Dynasty, 17th century, each with molded foliate design and cobalt blue geometric design to center. Each approx.: 1....
Category
17th Century Chinese Antique Ming Ceramics
Materials
Porcelain
$1,800 / set
Antique Decorated Brown-Glazed Mataban Vase/Jar
Located in Chicago, IL
Antique Brown-Glazed Mataban Jar Vase
This large antique Chinese urn has six small figural handles made of beasts and multiple dragons carv...
Category
Early 19th Century Chinese Antique Ming Ceramics
Materials
Stoneware
Chinese Ming Dynasty Tomb Funeral Pottery Bed Model
Located in Atlanta, GA
A Chinese stoneware day bed model circa Ming dynasty (15th-17th century). The miniature models were traditionally made as burial offering objects. Pottery models of daily life necess...
Category
16th Century Chinese Antique Ming Ceramics
Materials
Stoneware
Chinese Miniature Mingqi Skirted Table
Located in Chicago, IL
This miniature ceramic table is from Shanxi Province and may have been made to represent Mingqi, a type of ancient Chinese burial good. Mingqi were plac...
Category
15th Century and Earlier Chinese Antique Ming Ceramics
Materials
Ceramic
Chinese Ming Dynasty Tomb Funeral Pottery Bed Model
Located in Atlanta, GA
A Chinese stoneware day bed model circa Ming dynasty (15th-17th century). The miniature models were traditionally made as burial offering objects. Pottery models of daily life necess...
Category
16th Century Chinese Antique Ming Ceramics
Materials
Stoneware
Chinese Ceramic Glazed Guardian Ming Dynasty
Located in Atlanta, GA
A stoneware figure depicting a seated armored warrior with a striking pose circa 15th-17th century. He is likely one of the four heavenly kings, th...
Category
16th Century Chinese Antique Ming Ceramics
Materials
Stoneware
Pair of Chinese Ming Dynasty Tomb Funeral Pottery Chair Models
Located in Atlanta, GA
A pair of Chinese stoneware horseshoe cross chairs circa Ming dynasty (15th-17th century). The miniature models were traditionally made as burial offeri...
Category
16th Century Chinese Antique Ming Ceramics
Materials
Stoneware
Chinese Blue & White Swatow Ware Bowl, 17th C.
Located in Astoria, NY
Chinese Blue and White Swatow Ware Bowl, Ming Dynasty, 17th century, with hand-painted floral central medallion and geometric border. 2.75" H x 12.25" Diameter. Provenance: From an U...
Category
17th Century Chinese Antique Ming Ceramics
Materials
Porcelain
Ming ceramics for sale on 1stDibs.
Find a broad range of unique Ming ceramics for sale on 1stDibs. Many of these items were first offered in the Early 20th Century, but contemporary artisans have continued to produce works inspired by this style. If you’re looking to add vintage ceramics created in this style to your space, the works available on 1stDibs include asian art and furniture and other home furnishings, frequently crafted with ceramic, porcelain and other materials. If you’re shopping for used Ming ceramics made in a specific country, there are Asia, East Asia, and China pieces for sale on 1stDibs. It’s true that these talented designers have at times inspired knockoffs, but our experienced specialists have partnered with only top vetted sellers to offer authentic pieces that come with a buyer protection guarantee. Prices for ceramics differ depending upon multiple factors, including designer, materials, construction methods, condition and provenance. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $919 and tops out at $35,634 while the average work can sell for $2,480.
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