Page 71 - A Re-examination of Late Qing Dynasty Porcelain, 1850-1920 THESIS

foundation for “The Twenty Illustrations of the Manufacture of Porcelain,” combining

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the annotations with later imagery. Over time, the close adherence to the steps outlined

by Tang resulted in flawless porcelain wares that paid homage to ancient styles while also

being innovative. While these workshops were centralized locations of artistic

excellence, they were strictly confined by the commissions of the current ruler. Based on

this practice, it is clear that the desired aesthetic of the ruler was far more crucial than

free artistic expression, which directly mirrors the control Cixi held over imperial

painting. According to Jesuit missionaries who visited the court of Qianlong, “one does

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only what one is told and does what one is told to the letter.” This proves that although
artistic style may have flourished at any given time in the Qing imperial court, these

styles were expertly cultivated. Visually, the subtle differences can be observed in the

prototypes created for each emperor. Drawings of a desired ware were sent to

Jingdezhen, and a prototype was then created and returned to the Forbidden City. Final

approval was sent back to Jingdezhen prior to large commissions of any porcelain type.

The collector Simon Kwan has several prototypes dating to the late Qing, with varieties

of blue-and-white bowls produced for the Daoguang Emperor 道光皇帝(c. 1835)

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showing minor differences within the floral motif (Figure 10). By comparison, the

59 The Taoye tushuo is often referred to as Taoye tu bian or Taoye tu. The Taoye tu is translated
by S.W. Bushell in Chinese Pottery and Porcelain (London: Claredon Press, 1910). The album
with Tang’s annotations is available in a reproduction through the Chang Foundation of Chinese
Art, Chinese Art from the Ching Wan Society Collection (Taipei: Chang Foundation, 1998). For a
further updated analysis of the text and album see Peter Lam, “Tang Ying (1682-1756): The
Imperial Factory, Superintendent at Jingdezhen,” Transactions of the Oriental Ceramics Society
63 (2000): 65-82.
60 Ying-chen Peng from series of letters between two Jesuits: Jean-Joseph-Marie Amiot and Jean-
Denis Attiret. Letters recorded, Deborah Sommer Trans, “A Letter from a Jesuit Painter in
Qianlong’s Court at Chengde,” in New Qing Imperial History: The Making of Inner Asian Empire
at Qing Chengde, ed. James A. Millward et al. (New York: Routledge, 2011), 177.
61 Kwan, Imperial Porcelain of the Late Qing Dynasty, 52.

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