Page 76 - A Re-examination of Late Qing Dynasty Porcelain, 1850-1920 THESIS

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emperor. This is often evident in the repeated designs and thematic motifs of the
period. The use of her own personal reign marks as well as becoming the invisible

backer for the emperor’s porcelain establishes Cixi as the sole imperial patron from

approximately 1861 until 1908. By harnessing the porcelain markers, Cixi made herself

not only the equal to any man in the Forbidden City, but the emperor’s superior.

The wares distinguished as dayazhai offer a perplexing combination of qualities

that are difficult to study, because a limited number of pieces are known and accessible.

Even though these pieces are considered quite “rare,” the academic community has

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deemed many of the known pieces of dayazhai wares as being of “inferior quality.”
The concept of being inferior is inappropriately applied, because many of the dayazhai

wares maintain a superior quality when compared to other porcelain vessels produced

within the same era. The wares do not appear to be of the same quality as earlier wares

produced in China because they were made in a completely different manner.

Technological advances in the firing process along with stylistic choices make the wares

unique to the period. While similarities can be found, it is unrealistic to compare

drastically different porcelain spanning centuries of kiln production. It is clear that these

wares exemplify a break with the styles found in earlier Qing porcelain, indicating that

Cixi cultivated a new style rather than an “inferior” style. In recent years, more of these

wares commissioned by the empress dowager have been discovered within global

69 As was the case in her patronage of porcelain, Cixi is associated as the chief patron of porcelain
during the reigns of Tongzhi and Guangxu.
70 Longsdorf, “Dayazhai Ware: Porcelains of the Empress Dowager,” 45. Scholars speculate
about 5,000 works were actually a part of the original commission by the Empress. Of this total,
about 200 are estimated to be in the National Palace Museum’s Collection, while some are
documented in museums in Taiwan, and other international institutions. Many pieces are also
assumed to be in private collections.

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