Page 66 - A Re-examination of Late Qing Dynasty Porcelain, 1850-1920 THESIS

truly analyzed individually. The designs, aesthetics, patterns, and forms found across the

field of art drew from one another and thus must be considered in the context of a

semiotic relationship.

It is clear that Cixi was at least partially responsible for the designs on both her

commissioned paintings and porcelain, either via direct creation of the imagery or in the

thought process behind the motif itself and the provision of instructions to others to create

such works. Looking at the available sources, it is apparent that Cixi was artistically

inclined and did not solely rely on court artists to create and implement her designs. Her

surviving paintings do appear similar in both style and subject matter to the imagery

painted on the porcelain she commissioned, making it entirely possibly that she was

solely responsible for not only patronage of the porcelain but the design itself as an artist

in her own right. Yet another example of this crossover can be seen in Cixi’s painting

Birds and Rocks, which dates to approximately 1890 and illustrates a pair of ribbon-tailed

birds sitting on a rock (Figure 8). Each bird looks into the distance, one focusing on a bat

and the other on a pine branch. Taken together, the implied meaning of the bat and the

pine branch is one of blessing and longevity. Along the base of the rock grow colorful

lingzhi, which further symbolize immortality. Each brushstroke in the composition is

deliberate, creating an expressive scene reminiscent of traditional calligraphy. Keeping

this motif in mind, a set of yellow jardinières decorated with flower and bird

commissioned by Cixi with the dayazhai mark bear a strikingly similar resemblance to

the imagery in Birds and Rocks (Figure 9). The jardinières have a vivid yellow ground

that is detailed with grisaille designs. The motif focuses the viewer’s attention on a pair

of birds on a plum tree branch. The composition of the painting appears on the

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