Page 54 - A Re-examination of Late Qing Dynasty Porcelain, 1850-1920 THESIS

commitment to the arts and her desire to advance them. Her ability to maintain control of

the country while also molding the influence of shifting politics, modernization, and

Westernization directly shaped the patronage of the late Qing dynasty. There are

extensive surviving records that detail Cixi’s involvement as an artistic patron, especially

in the form of first-hand accounts by her contemporaries, which makes it possible to

understand the ideology behind Cixi’s personal styles and the close relationship across

various media.

1.3 Painting and Porcelain: Connections

To begin to understand the styles that Cixi developed within late dynastic

porcelain, it is critical to investigate her involvement with painting. The empress

dowager was especially involved in painting, with surviving records indicating a heavy

contribution in not only patronage but also in actual participation in painting. The

empress dowager’s direct involvement in painting her own scrolls provides an irrefutable

example of the styles, techniques, and overall aesthetics that she found desirable. The

surviving works attributed to Cixi reveal thematic recurrences that overlap with the

motifs found in other media such as porcelain. It is therefore critical to first understand

Cixi’s role in painting patronage, because it directly applies to her establishment as the

leading porcelain patron of the late Qing dynasty.

The imperial court’s involvement in the development of painting was well

established by the time Cixi rose to power. One of the largest single contributors to

painting’s development during the Qing dynasty was the transitional period immediately

following the fall of the Ming dynasty. This transitional era influenced the artistic

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