High-footed goblet decorated with lotus and Tibetan script

Together with silk and lacquered objects, blue-and-white porcelain was perhaps most admired by European collectors. Painted in underglaze cobalt blue, the shapes of the wares and their decoration were characterized by finesse and aesthetic impressiveness. In its single-colour decoration, this type of porcelain resembles ink painting; it was therefore popular also among the Chinese literati, who saw it as a painting medium worthy of expressing thoughts. During the Qing dynasty, inspiration with Tibetan art was common, as the Manchu emperors admired it greatly and supported it in a number of temples in Beijing and its surroundings.