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the objects for being able to compensate and fulfill the indemnities but he also praised

them for their ability to constitute a large museum such that the people of the five

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continents would be in awe. Here, porcelain’s value was understood by Chen as
contributing to self-knowledge in the context of being seen in the world. Chen’s opinion

was shaped by the circumstances in which porcelain objects were accessed – from

imperial treasures in palace grounds to spoils of war to visible beauty.

V. Inscribing the Collector as Knower

The foregoing discussion highlighted how knowledge about porcelain was

produced and for what reason in the late Qing. Another issue Chen tackles in his text is

the status of connoisseurs and their moral and intellectual superiority over merchants and

money-grubbing art dealers. He was concerned with the development of knowledge (and

taste) about porcelain. In doing so, he established a hierarchy of knowledge (taste)

makers. His allegiances fell with connoisseurs who comprehended aesthetic standards.

This is clearly expressed in statements of this sort:

The fine judgment of the connoisseurs frequently exceeds
that of the man in the market. And when it comes to the
collectors, their physical energy is robust and stout, far
beyond that of the shopkeepers. A single vessel however
small, a single sketch however small, once they have
examined its origin and history, then they are happy with
delight. So they beg for books of reference they are certain
to appeal to the antiquarians to search and pick out the
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gems; reserving a slight smile for the nouveau riche.

As mentioned, Chen Liu was himself an avid collector of porcelain. In a preface

he wrote for his collection of poems dedicated to his porcelain wine cups, Chen

enumerated the objects of his collection ranged from Han Dynasty, Six Dynasties, Tang,