Page 68 - A Re-examination of Late Qing Dynasty Porcelain, 1850-1920 THESIS

commissions, echoing the changing aesthetics within China at the end of the Qing

dynasty.

1.4 The Empress Dowager’s Porcelain

The Qing court was structured to ensure artistic production prior to Cixi’s reign,

and it seems that limited changes were made throughout the Qing dynasty with respect to

these established avenues of production. The dominant producer of porcelain was the

imperial kiln at Jingdezhen, Jiangxi Province. Jingdezhen was a completely inclusive

kiln with artisans who had obtained mastery of every step of the porcelain process from

procuring the clay to packing the wares for shipping. The Qing-controlled Jingdezhen

kilns differed from what was inherited from the Ming dynasty. The majority of the

workforce was employed rather than comprised of compulsory laborers, meaning that

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workers were not forced to work in the kilns. The difference in the treatment of the

craftsmen resulted in Qing wares being predominately produced by highly skilled

individuals with immense technical abilities, which was not the case in previous

dynasties. The level of artistry achieved is reflected in the inclusion of detail within each

piece, and these works could then be reproduced with the same level of skill. The control

over the entire porcelain-making process meant that Jingdezhen had the ability to

completely regulate the quality, uniformity, and cohesiveness within the commissions of

each specific Qing ruler.

52 Simon Kwan, Imperial Porcelain of the Late Qing (Hong Kong: The Chinese University of
Hong Kong, 1983), 21.

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