Page 178 - A Re-examination of Late Qing Dynasty Porcelain, 1850-1920 THESIS

maintained the imperial court at a similar standard to Qianlong. The timeline of peak

porcelain in China must be revisited and ultimately reestablished. Given the maintenance

of porcelain patronage upheld by the empress dowager, late dynastic porcelain can be

reinterpreted. These porcelain pieces became the foundation for the wares of the early

republic, thus establishing that the empress dowager founded a strong porcelain style that

continued to influence porcelain production into the early republic. The style she

established suggests that high levels of imperial patronage, artistic integrity, and modern

aesthetics existed during this era.

3.7 Porcelain Collecting in the Era of the Empress Dowager

To begin to revise the current concepts of porcelain, one must consider Empress

Dowager Cixi’s interactions with art. A prior chapter examined these interactions in

depth, establishing the major role Cixi played in the continuation of the fine arts during

the late Qing dynasty. Works that are attributed to the empress dowager’s patronage and

even her own personal hand can be found throughout the world. An example at the

Royal Ontario Museum exemplifies the distinct style belonging to Cixi in which there is a

strong reliance on flower iconography (Figure 63). The hanging scroll Tree peonies,

th
dating to the late 19 century depicts the recurring motif of a peony. The scroll reveals
peonies blooming across the silk. The use of a white, yellow, and pink blossoms is

evocative of the previously investigated scroll Peonies (Figure 7). While the composition

of each hanging scroll is unique the iconography and technique exhibited appear

stylistically comparable. The consistency demonstrated across the paintings and porcelain

patronized by Cixi provides visual evidence that a distinct style, which predominantly

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