Page 80 - A Re-examination of Late Qing Dynasty Porcelain, 1850-1920 THESIS

exploration was conducted using the iconography associated with flowers rather than a

literal illustration of the season, since flowers are a subject found in both her

commissioned porcelains sets and some of her surviving artwork, as was previously

analyzed.

The first of these seasonal motifs is the spring season. Cixi must have had a

particular fondness for spring, because this is the only one of the four seasons that

actually has two patterns. The first pattern is a turquoise vessel with overglaze famille

rose-detailed wisteria and roses. On one bowl with this seasonal motif on the exterior,

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the motif continues over the upper rim into the interior of the vessel (Figure 15). The
combination of flowers invites the use of vivid colors against the turquoise backing while

also embedding additional symbolism. A rose, yueji 月季, is a blossom that blooms once

a month. The consistent renewal of this species gives it the connotation of longevity.

Therefore, the rose can also be known as changchunhua 長春花, the eternal flower of

spring. Wisteria, ziteng 紫藤, is depicted with cascading purple blooms. The form of the

draping flowers along with the color closely parallel the sashes and cords of official seals,

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directly connecting the imagery to the imperial court. Within this floral design sits an

hwamie bird, which is identifiable by the distinct white markings around its eyes. The

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bird supposedly sings a beautiful song that represents a longing for spring. While the
imagery itself clearly depicts a spring scene, the hidden symbols reinforce the season and

76 George Weishaupt, The Great Fortune: Chinese and Japanese Porcelain of the 19th and 20th
Centuries and Their Forerunners; from the Weishaupt Collection (Schefenacker: Weishaupt,
2002). This collection holds the majority of the porcelain known with this specific spring pattern.
77 Terese Tse Bartholomew, Hidden Meanings in Chinese Art (San Francisco: Asian Art Museum
of San Francisco, 2006), 131.
78 Longsdorf, “Dayazhai Ware: Porcelains of the Empress Dowager,” 46.

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