Page 79 - A Re-examination of Late Qing Dynasty Porcelain, 1850-1920 THESIS

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 collections and are slowly being

reevaluated.

Records at the National Palace Museum in Beijing indicate that Cixi’s dayazhai

wares were ordered as a set of five dinner services, most likely during the late reign of

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Tongzhi (1862–1874) to the early reign of Guangxu (1875–1908). The sets had a total
of eight forms within them: bowls in large, medium, and small sizes, along with several

covers; saucers in large, medium, and small sizes; two sizes of covered boxes, zhadou,

and fish bowls. The five designs involved depictions of the seasons: two different

patterns for spring and one design each for winter, autumn, and summer. Artists sketched

these seasonal designs, and the drawings were used to create the finished porcelain

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imagery. The drawings clearly indicate that Cixi created some sort of blue print for

these pieces, indicating another correlation between her role as an artist and patron. The

imagery created on each piece of porcelain was expertly executed with artistic skill,

resulting in all of the patterns maintaining a consistent balance with equal dimensions

throughout. The precision of the porcelain imagery is also found in the paintings

associated with Cixi, which maintain a strict balance with the composition. Cixi was

particularly interested in the changing of the seasons and often explored this subject

within her own paintings and in the porcelain she commissioned. Typically, this

74 Longsdorf, “The Tongzhi Imperial Wedding Porcelain,” 69.
75 For further reading see Guanyang Yuci: Gugong Bowuyuan Cang Qingdai Zhi Ci Guanyang Yu
Yuyao Ciqi (Official Designs for Imperial Porcelains: Qing Dynasty Official Designs for the
Manufacture of Porcelain and Imperial Ceramics of the Gugong Museum) (Beijing: Forbidden
City Publishing House, 2007).

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