Page 179 - A Re-examination of Late Qing Dynasty Porcelain, 1850-1920 THESIS

relied on floral iconography that promotes power, femininity, and imperial success was

generated by the empress dowager during the late Qing period. Looking at British

collections specifically, a significant amount of objects have survived that provide further

evidence in support of a continuation of imperial patronage beyond Qianlong’s reign.

While many scholars refuse to credit Cixi as an artist, the British Museum’s collection

includes an example that is widely accepted as her work. The work, titled Safe and

Sound, Wealth and Honor, is a paper rubbing of an engraved stele depicting a painting

completed by Cixi (Figure 64). The work includes one of her inscriptions on the far left

that reads, “sixteenth day of the eighth lunar month in the sixteenth year of the Guangxu

reign.” After analysis, this inscription suggests a date of 1890, establishing that the work

was made during Cixi’s lifetime. While scholars might still argue that Cixi did not paint

the painting, it is clear that the work is undoubtedly rendered in her style. The main

image of the painting is that of a peony in a vase. As previously explored, the peony

symbolizes the king of flowers. The flower has frequent associations with imperial China

dating back to the Sui and Tang dynasties when it was first recorded as growing within

the palace gardens. 230 As this study has explored, Cixi utilized the peony repetitively,

making it an icon of her reign and personal artistic style. Along with the vase and flower

is a ruyi scepter, which further emphasizes Cixi’s position as ruler since the scepter was

often associated with the emperor. The ruyi embodies wishes and translates to “as you

wish.” During the Qing dynasty, emperors and empresses were frequently presented ruyi

scepters as birthday gifts. 231 The inclusion of the peony and ruyi design within this

230 Terese Tse Bartholomew, Hidden Meanings in Chinese Art (San Francisco: Asian Art
Museum of San Francisco, 2006), 123. The history of the peony dates back to the reign of
Empress Wu Zetian (625-705) during the Tang dynasty.
231 Bartholomew, Hidden Meanings in Chinese Art, 264.
140