Page 2 - A Re-examination of Late Qing Dynasty Porcelain, 1850-1920 THESIS

ABSTRACT

Art historians typically consider Chinese porcelain a decorative art, resulting in

scholars spending little time analyzing it as a fine art form. One area that is certainly

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neglected is porcelain produced during the late 19 and early 20 century during the late
Qing dynasty (1644–1911) into the early Republic period (1912–1949). As the Qing

dynasty weakened and ultimately fell in 1911, there was a general decline in the quantity

of porcelain produced in China. Due to this circumstance, porcelain of this era has not

received the detailed analysis, characterization of styles, comprehension of themes, and

understanding of patronage evident in other periods of Chinese porcelain production.

Ultimately, limited research has been conducted to establish the styles associated with

late dynastic porcelain into the early Republic’s establishment.

This dissertation utilizes a new perspective that considers the patronage of the

Empress Dowager Cixi (1835-1908) as a high point of late dynastic porcelain. Concrete

documentation establishes that motifs were appropriated from Cixi’s painting, suggesting

a direct connection between schools of painting and the imagery selected for porcelain

during her reign. The porcelain Cixi influenced directly guided the porcelain produced

during the Hongxian era (1915-1916), making Cixi’s patronage the key turning point

from dynastic porcelain to early Republic porcelain. Utilizing predominately British

collections, this study identifies the styles, symbols, and themes associated with porcelain

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of the 19 and 20 century, elevating late dynastic and early Republic wares to the status
of fine art.

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