Page 72 - A Re-examination of Late Qing Dynasty Porcelain, 1850-1920 THESIS

same style of blue-and-white bowl was produced during the reign of Xuantong (Figure

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11). While the earlier prototypes have slight variations in the outlining of flowers and

the color saturation, the later example was created using a stronger application of cobalt.

The flowers themselves appear darker and more heavily shaded. These incorporations

indicate a completely new style that has been appropriated as a motif, instilling the

flowers with a unique and modern aesthetic. These prototypes indicate the variation

available within Qing-era porcelain and provide evidence that emperors’ shifting styles

satisfied their own aesthetic interests. This comparison of prototypes establishes that Cixi

not only oversaw the imperial patterns cultivated but was also solely responsible for what

porcelain styles were developed within the country.

The resulting wares commissioned by Cixi display a codified series of motifs that

appear repeatedly throughout her reign. The use of a codified series of motifs emerged

prior to Cixi’s reign. Rose Kerr attributes the establishment of this approach to Qianlong.

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According to Kerr, after Qianlog’s reign, porcelain began to reproduce exact designs.
While the designs themselves are fundamentally exactly the same, they tend to vary

artistically. These variations allow for clear delineations between wares of various

reigns, establishing conclusive evidence of aesthetic variations in porcelain produced

during the reign of Cixi compared to any other time of production. Based upon the

porcelain examined for this study, the thematic images utilized for porcelain in this era

are predominately designs with birds and flowers, auspicious flowers, Western

inspiration, and auspicious imagery including characters. The clear repetition of designs

62 Kwan, 147.
63 Rose Kerr and Luisa Mengoni, Chinese Export Ceramics (London: The Victoria & Albert
Museum, 2011), 70.

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