Page 146 - A Re-examination of Late Qing Dynasty Porcelain, 1850-1920 THESIS

the gifts that were accepted into the imperial collection and what porcelain was selected

for court use. Although few sources survive, records of the imperial collection have been

preserved. These imperial records provide insight into the thought process behind the

acquisitions of the imperial collection, thus offering indirect insight into how other

collectors in China also would have amassed their collections. Many of these records

refer to objects using broad titles. While this description can enlighten scholars as to a

vessel’s form and quantity, it is rather challenging to deduce the style. However, visual

documentation of the imperial collection does exist, with two of the rarest resources

residing within the British collections at the Victoria and Albert Museum (Figure 45) and

the British Museum (Figure 46). Titled the Guwan tu 古玩圖, or “Scroll of Antiquities,”

these rare handscrolls were originally part of a larger set of scrolls that served as pictorial

representations of the imperial collection. Very few of these handscrolls are known to

exist today, making the British holdings exceptional resources regarding early imperial

porcelain collections. The images painted with ink and color reflect the collecting

practices that occurred in the Qing period. The handscrolls include more than 250

objects including bronzes, jades, carvings, curios, and a variety of ceramics. The

ceramics number nearly 103 objects in total. Under inspection, the ceramic wares that

are depicted in the handscrolls appear to be predominately porcelain, and many of these

porcelain wares appear to be blue-and-white porcelain. The wares are ornately decorated

with thematic depictions of dragons, figures, and floral motifs. The objects found on

both handscrolls span dates from 2500 BCE until the scrolls were painted during the Qing

dynasty. Archaic bronzes represent some of the oldest wares, while porcelain imagery

represents some of the most modern styles of the Qing era. Records like these

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