Page 169 - A Re-examination of Late Qing Dynasty Porcelain, 1850-1920 THESIS

his court and allowing them to instruct artists within his imperial studios. Examples of

these innovative styles are evident within the British Museum’s collection. One vase

dating to Qianlong’s reign demonstrates several of these influences (Figure 62). The

vessel is painted with falangcai enamels, utilizing the emerging famille rose palette. The

image selected is a portrait of two Western women. The choice of Western individuals

indicates the high level of exchange occurring at the time. Wares of this period were not

only inspired by the West but were often directly shaped by interactions with Western

traders. As a result, Western imagery became commonly incorporated into porcelain

designs. While these elements alone indicate that the vase had Western inspiration, it

also incorporated linear perspective into the background of the scene. The artist also

included a chiaroscuro effect created by the shading of the enamels on the vase’s surface,

emphasizing the movement of light. Scholars believe the enamels were painted in

Beijing, indicating that it was painted within the Forbidden City rather than at the kilns of

Jingdezhen. From this it is clear that porcelain and painting shared the same influential

elements, creating areas of cross-media exchange. This exchange between fields of art

occurred frequently, creating a distinct lineage between the trends of patronage Qianlong

cultivated. These shared commonalities progressed into later dynastic China and were

especially notable during the patronage of Empress Dowager Cixi. Similar to Qianlong,

Cixi’s patronage reflects distinct shared iconography in both painting and porcelain,

allowing for a distinct style to emerge.

Catalog records housed at the National Palace Museum Taipei establish that

Qianlong made an effort to document the porcelain added to the imperial collection.

These catalogs include: Jingtao yungu 精陶韞古 (Refined ceramics of collected

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