Page 150 - A Re-examination of Late Qing Dynasty Porcelain, 1850-1920 THESIS

earliest documented export wares to reach Europe was the Fonthill Vase around 1300–

1330 (Figure 48). 186 While the vase no longer exists, images depicting the vase have

survived. These images have established that the vessel was a qingbai ci 青白瓷 bottle

with panels featuring cutout motifs and floral decoration. While this may have been the

earliest export ware to reach Europe, very little is known about it except for a few

drawings of the vessel. Even though wares clearly came from China as early as the

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Fonthill Vase, it was not until the 17 century that Chinese porcelain regularly entered

the European market. The first interactions between China and the West were with the

Portuguese, who began importing large amounts of Chinese porcelain specifically for

Western trade. When the Dutch overtook Portugal as the major traders of the Chinese

porcelain industry, that industry had already reached a massive level, exporting as many

as 6,000,000 ceramics in addition to filling custom commissions. Porcelain became the

largest export out of Jingdezhen with wares reaching Europe, America, Africa, and

Australia in either direct trade or indirect trade. 187

As a result of European trade with China, tea was introduced to the West

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beginning in the mid-17 century. Tea drinking quickly rose in popularity and became a

pastime associated with Western cultures. The expense associated with purchasing tea

ensured that the drink was reserved for the wealthy, ultimately allowing for the act of

drinking tea to become associated with high social status in the West. It was this

association that was projected onto porcelain from China, shaping the perception of the

object into a representation of wealth and affluence. This practice is clearly visible in

186 William R. Sargent, Treasures of Chinese Export Ceramics from the Peabody Essex Museum
(Salem: Peabody Essex Museum, 2012), 3.
187 Li Zhiyan and Cheng Wen, Chinese Pottery and Porcelain (Beijing: Foreign Languages Press,
1984), 104.
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