Ming

Refers to the period and styles associated with the Chinese dynasty dating from 1368 to 1644. It is characterized by being a period of stability, prosperity, and by a renewal of Chinese culture and national consciousness. Styles in this period developed largely from a system of court patronage of the arts that generally encouraged a high level of workmanship, but conservatism in design and technique. The major art produced during this period includes cloisonné, enamelware, bronzework, lacquerwork, furniture, and small ornamental carvings of jade, ivory, wood, and porcelain. In ceramics, earlier styles, including, blue-and-white wares, were refined in technique and decoration. In architecture, the earlier experiments of the Sung period were abandoned, in favor of more traditional designs, including the construction of the Forbidden City in Peking. In painting, schools of professional academics/artists and "literati" encouraged independent, personal styles.