Page 197 - A Re-examination of Late Qing Dynasty Porcelain, 1850-1920 THESIS

shipping to organizations that focused on the sale of Chinese objects within London. For

the first time, an individual was able to browse a catalog and specifically order a piece of

porcelain without ever having to leave his or her own home. The emergence of a sales

market within Britain shifted the cultural association attributed to porcelain. It was a

commodity that could be easily purchased, which turned porcelain into a purely

decorative object. Companies like the Eastern Art Manufactures produced their first

catalog in 1881 (Figure 75). Investigating this catalog at the National Art Library at the

Victoria and Albert Museum revealed that the company allocated an entire section of its

catalog to Chinese porcelain. The section details styles, shapes, and colors available for

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order, indicating the desirability of Chinese porcelain in late 19 -century Britain.

Although the styles of porcelain that were collected shifted significantly over the course

of time, it is evident that Chinese porcelain has maintained a high level of prominence

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within Britain. However, it is apparent that during the 19 century there was very little

connoisseurship in the collecting of Chinese porcelain. Porcelain that was acquired was

viewed without considering its historical context, therefore, collections and exhibitions

were often unable to convey the depth of meaning and artistry intrinsic to Chinese

porcelain.

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3.8 The Sir Percival David Collection and Collecting During the 20 Century

A combination of exposure to porcelain due to exhibitions and early sales directly

from China’s imperial collection resulted in the greatest collections of Chinese porcelain

being amassed in Britain, making Britain’s collections a focal point for this study’s

investigation. These collections were built on the strength and connoisseurship of the

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