Page 168 - A Re-examination of Late Qing Dynasty Porcelain, 1850-1920 THESIS

collections and determined what was considered an “imperial” quality. Historians

consider Qianlong to have had a prosperous reign during which he collected thousands of

pieces of art in a variety of media. Unlike previous emperors who collected based on

their specific interests, Qianlong actively collected almost every category of art for the

imperial collection. 211 This collection included thousands of paintings, calligraphy,

porcelain, bronzes, jades, treasure boxes, cloisonné enamels, glass and lacquer wares.

Qianlong even worked to collect a library known as the Siku quanshu 四庫全書

(Complete library in four sections) that contained more than 3,451 works. 212 As a result

of the collection’s rapid growth, Qianlong required that the imperial collection be

recorded and cataloged. Surviving works from this project include the Shiqu baoji 石渠

寶笈 (Precious Book Box of the Stone Drum), the Bidian zhulin 秘殿珠林(Beaded Grove

of the Secret Hall), the Xiqing gujian 西清古鑑 (Ancient Mirror of Western Clarity) and

the Tian lu lin lang shu mu 天祿琳瑯書目(Tianlu collection of masterpieces). 213 These

catalogs provide insight into the original focus of Qianlong’s collection while also

indicating the massive scale of his collection.

Along with having a wide interest in the arts, Qianlong actively participated in the

production process, requiring his approval throughout the various stages of fabrication.

Qianlong’s active patronage promoted the inclusion of new techniques contributed by the

Jesuits and created an environment that promoted both Westernization and modernization

within the arts. Qianlong embraced these influences fully, welcoming Jesuit painters to

211 Scott, “The Chinese Imperial Collections,” 25.
212 Scott, 25. For further information, see R. Kent Guy, The Emperor’s Four Treasuries:
Scholars and the State in the Late Chʻien-Lung Era (Cambridge: The Council on East Asian
Studies at Harvard University, 1987).
213 Scott, 25.
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