Page 137 - A Re-examination of Late Qing Dynasty Porcelain, 1850-1920 THESIS

unmistakably of this caliber. Despite maintaining the standards that were previously

attributed to imperial porcelain, the modernization of the porcelain industry changed the

way porcelain was produced. Porcelain companies, ceramic guilds, artist societies, and

even institutions emerged to manage the kilns within the porcelain city. 169 These

organizations marked the beginning of modern porcelain production in the republic era.

This division is critical to establish because it creates a distinction between what occurred

in the early republic and what occurred in the later republic in regard to patronage and

overall influences on porcelain.

Although Yuan’s reign was exceptionally brief, it had a dramatic impact on the

production of porcelain, creating a legacy that continued long after the Hongxian era

ended. The continuation of patronage during this reign proves a continuation of imperial-

level patronage beyond the fall of the Qing dynasty. As a result, the legacy of late Qing

patrons, specifically the empress dowager, continued into the early republic. It is highly

probable that the same artists who worked during the late Qing dynasty managed to

remain at the kilns and were therefore able to produce the Hongxian wares that Yuan

commissioned, along with the early republic wares produced after his death. It is entirely

possible that individuals who worked under Cixi’s patronage may have remained at the

imperial kilns to then serve under Yuan’s patronage. Both the empress dowager and

Yuan used imperial patronage to establish their power. Since neither Cixi nor Yuan had a

traditional route to their reign, their patronage of porcelain by clearly including their own

aesthetic styles and reign marks was a way to establish themselves in the hierarchical

monarchy of emperors. The clear trajectory of styles, patterns, and themes along with a

169 Cao Ganyuan, “Innovations and Creations: Jingdezhen Porcelain of the Last Century,”
th
Innovations and Creations: A Retrospective of 20 century Porcelain from Jingdezhen, 23.
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