Page 145 - A Re-examination of Late Qing Dynasty Porcelain, 1850-1920 THESIS

wares all display a variety of glazes predominately representing celadon or a green tone;

however, variations in glaze can range from crackled whites to light blues. These wares

were made for the imperial court and were among the first wares to have regulations

relating to production set by the palace. 181 One example of this type of collected ware

can be found in the imperial collection, which is currently at the National Palace Museum

(Figure 44). The collection houses a Ding ware bowl dating to the Northern Song

dynasty (960–1127). This bowl has an off-white glaze that emphasizes its color due to

the absence of additional decoration. The top rim is detailed with a copper edge, which is

contrasted by the pure glaze color. The characteristic “tear stain” of ding wares can be

seen on the vessel’s exterior. This phenomenon occurs as a result of the glaze heating

rapidly, slowly running down the vessel’s surface, and finally hardening. The raised

pattern that resulted from this occurrence was deemed aesthetically appealing at that time

and was also a characteristic desired by later Chinese collectors. Despite some wares

being held in remarkably high esteem over generations of collectors, these highly sought-

after wares did not make up a huge portion of the collecting that occurred historically in

China. This was the result of the five great wares being produced in such small quantities

over a condensed period of time making them extremely rare. 182

There is limited available documentation of how collectors procured their

porcelain in China. It is clear that one monumental influence on Chinese collectors was

the imperial styles set by the Forbidden City. Ultimately, the emperor had control over

181 Rosemary E Scott and Stacey Pierson, “The Chinese Imperial Collections,” Collecting
Chinese Art: Interpretation and Display, 2000, 19–32.
182 Wares of this variety were first produced during the reign of Huizong (1101-1125). Records
dating to this reign indicate the rarity of the ru type wares, making them extremely difficult to
find even in the era in which they were produced.

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