Page 132 - A Re-examination of Late Qing Dynasty Porcelain, 1850-1920 THESIS

Hongxian porcelain as highly influential beyond their era. The official Tang Shaoyi 唐紹

儀(1862–1938) lived during the Hongxian period. He had served the late Qing court as

an envoy, and later in his life he was the first prime minister of the Republic of China. 164

Tang had a lifelong interest in collecting porcelain. 165 While aspects of his collection

focused on traditional porcelain from the peak era of production, he did collect wares

produced during the Hongxian era. One vessel from the era in question is a small fencai

enamel gu 觚 form vase (Figure 42). This vase utilizes an apocryphal mark of Daoguang.

The vessel has been reattributed to the late Qing dynasty or early republic, allowing it to

serve as a representative of the styles that were prevalently produced at that time. The

form of the vessel connotes the shape of an archaic bronze, linking the porcelain to past

traditions. The shape flares, allowing ample space to detail a decorative motif along the

top and bottom of the vessel. While the middle of the gu is a raised design with opaque

blue scrollwork, the details along the top and bottom sections of the vessel repeat similar

scenes of flowers and insects, connecting back to the styles that this study earlier

attributed as iconic of the Hongxian reign. On this vessel, the floral design is rendered

simply with bold brushstrokes that contain distinct colors. Unlike some of the earlier

examples, the gu vase lacks the finesse that was previously noted. However, it is evident

that the styles that were cultivated by Yuan during the Hongxian era had a dramatic

impact on what was being produced contemporaneously as well as after his abdication.

Examples like this vase emphasize the reach of Yuan’s aesthetic achievements, further

164 Tang Shaoyi, Tang Shaoyi (Zhuhai Shi: Zhuhai chu ban she, 2006).
165 Part of the Tang Shaoyi porcelain collection was auctioned at Bonhams during the Fine Asian
Works of Art sale on Tuesday, June 26, 2018.

93