Page 105 - The colours of each piece: production and consumption of Chinese enamelled porcelain, c.1728-c.1780
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CHAPTER 2 The Production of Enamelled Porcelain and Knowledge Transfer
I have shown the dynamic exchange between Jingdezhen and the Imperial
workshop at Beijing. Combining the archival records and the published scientific
examinations, and I have also shown the local perspective on the technical innovation
which occurred in Jingdezhen. These two points bring together different perspectives
to the studies of Chinese enamelled porcelain and enrich our understanding of
technology transfer and innovation occurred in terms of porcelain production of
eighteenth-century China. This section also reveals that the technological support
from Canton consisted mainly of making enamel colours, and we cannot blur the
nature of the supports offered from the manufactures in Jingdezhen and Canton, as it
would confuse our understanding of enamelled porcelain production.
2.5.4. Techniques of Painting Enamels on Porcelain and Styles
Quick technological adaption and innovation allowed local painters at Jingdezhen to
adjust their painting techniques. One may wonder why it occurred so quickly in a
period of less than a decade. Certainly, men such Nian Xiyao, Tang Ying and other
painters, craftsmen who have served at the Imperial workshops played a very
important role in transmitting the knowledge of how to make enamels and how to
paint enamels on porcelain. What is often not taken into account by present
scholarship are the drawings, images and texts that have been involved in the porcelain
production.
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