Page 148 - A Re-examination of Late Qing Dynasty Porcelain, 1850-1920 THESIS

collecting porcelain that emphasized ideal aesthetics and exhibited imperial taste.

Records of later collectors emphasize this transition, focusing primarily on acquiring

“imperial”-quality porcelain. For example, Chen Liu 陳瀏, a retired official and

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porcelain collector of the 19 century, had a significant preference for Qing porcelain
over the porcelain of the Ming dynasty, especially pieces produced during the reign of

Kangxi (1662–1722). As a collector, Chen specifically noted an admiration for vigorous

colors and soft pastel palettes and strove to obtain wares exhibiting good technical

potting and high levels of craftsmanship. 184 Wares such as a bowl decorated with famille

rose enamels with a peach and bat motif fits this collector’s unique preferences (Figure

47). The bowl dates to the reign of Qing Emperor Yongzheng (1722–1735) and is

comprised of beautiful white porcelain enameled with the five peaches of longevity on a

branch. The peaches exhibit immense painting skill, giving them natural color and

texture. Incorporated into the peach branch are five red bats, each of which is a

representation of happiness. This vessel demonstrates one collector’s preferences within

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China during the 19 century. Chen also explained the dislikes of the Chinese collector
during this era, stating, “he regrets the extraordinary virtuosity which resulted in

insensitive, repetitive decoration and hard dry colours.” 185 Based on visual evidence this

study finds that the wares Chen describes in a negative context are the style of wares that

were typically sold in Europe during the 19 century. The era in which Chen lived had
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an increasing amount of international porcelain movement, resulting from the historic

shifts occurring during the late Qing. The traditional preferences exhibited by Chen

184 Huang, “China’s China: Jingdezhen Porcelain and the Production of Art in the Nineteenth
Century,” 196.
185 Michel Beurdeley, The Chinese Collector Through the Centuries: From the Han to the 20th
Century (Rutland, Vermont: C. E. Tuttle Company, 1966), 193.
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