Page 126 - A Re-examination of Late Qing Dynasty Porcelain, 1850-1920 THESIS

most clearly visible in the flower petals. Along the shoulder and upper rim, a decorative

band divides the vessel. The banding of the shoulder utilizes the same lanceolate leaves

found on the porcelain altar vase used as a gift from Yuan Shikai, creating another

commonality within the examples of Hongxian this study investigated. While banding is

often geometric in nature, the banding selected for the upper rim of this vessel is

comprised of curving vines. The selection of a banded design that is non-traditional

attributes some originality to the Hongxian vessels, indicating that they were not entirely

recycled designs. The designs were selected for their traditional connotations and

appropriated for a new, modern vision.

Repeated imagery indicates that certain motifs were more popular than others,

providing insight into the styles that Yuan specifically patronized. The previous floral

examples provide evidence of the continuation of a design created by the empress

dowager. Other motifs do not hold as obvious a connection, allowing for the conclusion

that aspects of Hongxian-era porcelain decoration were exclusively a result of the

aesthetics desired at the time. An example that is explored further in the final chapter is

the inclusion of insects within floral scenes. Several pairs of vases were found during the

course of this research that demonstrated nearly identical insects. Another example, a

pair of Baluster vases with insect designs with Hongxian reign marks, presents another

version of this design (Figure 38). 155 In this version, a plain white ground forms the

background for a flowering sweet corn. Standing on top of the plant are several crickets

and cicadas detailed in brown, yellow, and green enamels. 156 While the design itself

155 Avitabile, From the Dragon’s Treasure: Chinese Porcelain from the Nineteenth and Twentieth
Centuries in the Weishaupt Collection, 131.
156 The Weishaupt collection catalog identifies the cricket as a grasshopper. However, this
research finds that the long antennae on the insect would identify it as a cricket rather than a
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