Page 141 - The colours of each piece: production and consumption of Chinese enamelled porcelain, c.1728-c.1780

CHAPTER 3 Enamelled Porcelain Consumption in Eighteenth-century China

It is noteworthy that from the late seventeenth century onwards, the production

of porcelain for the court (imperial kilns) and for the ordinary consumers (private kilns)

were mixed together, which means craftsmen could be circulated among different

kilns. Some porcelain pieces from private kilns could also be chosen to supply the

court. It is also important to note that porcelain from imperial kilns could be sold to

ordinary consumers. In previous periods, all porcelain in the imperial kilns had to be

sent to the court, although in various qualities. In the Ming dynasty, the pieces that

were not selected for the court (called ‘rejects’ or ‘seconds’) would be smashed in the

kiln. Archaeologists found that during the Ming dynasty, those porcelain items
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produced in the imperial kiln but not of top quality had been smashed in an appointed

pit; sometimes a vase could be smashed into more than 100 shards. However, Qing

emperors chose alternative ways that proved more economical. The consignment of

‘seconds’ were still ordered to be shipped to Beijing and stored in appointed

warehouses in the Yongzheng reign. These ‘seconds’ were normally used as gifts to
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officials or servants. The emperor Qianlong had another way of dealing with these
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‘seconds’. He commanded the official Tang Ying to sell these pieces locally. Tang

Ying tried to argue with Emperor Qianlong:

Even the porcelain is not in best quality, but they are still imperial wares

with reign mark and could be used as gifts to the guests. If there are

available to the folks, they will immediately imitate and produce the same

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type in an even larger number to make profits.

53 Wang Guangyao, Zhongguo gudai guanyao zhidu [The history of Imperial Kiln] (Beijing:
Zijincheng chubanshe, 2004), pp.195-200.
54 Ibid.
55 Ibid.
56 The Imperial Workshops Archives, vol. 10, p.650.
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