Qing Dynasty

Correlative History: Qing's Achievements in Procelain, Porcelain Exports of Qing Dynasty, Manufacture in Private Kiln for Official Kiln
 Famous Kilns: Langyao Kiln
Shape and Technique: Club-Shaped Vase, Porcelain of Kangxi Reign, Oil-Mallet-Shaped vase, Phoenix-Tail-Shaped Zun, Taibai Zun, Fencai, Guanyin Zun, Cloisonne, Horsehoof-shaped Zun, Porcelain of Yongzheng , Lantern-shaped Vase, Grisaille color, Awarding Vase, Porcelain of Qianlong Reign, Buddhism Pot, He-type Pot

The beginning of the Republic of China

Shape and Technique: Cap Rack, Light Crimson Color, Hongxian poecelain

Qing's Achievements in Procelain (AD 1644-1911)


Qing Dynasty is a golden period in China's porcelain-making history and the porcelain-making business reached its highest level. Especially in Kangxi, Yongzheng and Qianlong Reigns, the porcelain-making skills in such fields as form of utensils and glaze colors reached the highest level in the history. Besides inheriting traditional forms of ware, Qing also developed a large amount of the new modelings and there were more than 100 different varieties in Kangxi Reign, which was unprecedented. In the color of glaze, the traditional qinghua porcelains and five-colored porcelains in Ming Dynasty were developed and perfected while such new varieties as fencai, cloisonnýÈ, bronze colors and multi-typed single-colored glaze. As Qing government needed a large amount of porcelains, the supply of official kilns could not meet the demands and then many civilian kilns were also involved in producing the porcelains for government, which promoted the future development of the civilian kilns and produced large amount of delicately-made wares with the mark of civilian kilns' names. After Jiajing and Daoguang Reigns, the state power waned and the porcelain-making industry was also on decline.

Porcelain Exports of Qing Dynasty


With the development of foreign trade between East and West, China's porcelain became very popular in European countries at the beginning of Qing Dynasty, cherished as favourites by the upper-class society. Within 1717 to 1740, the Prussian emperor exchanged, when he selected his wife, his 600 Saxon cavalrymen for a batch of China's porcelains, among them were the 18 famous big qinghua cases called "Jinwei (guard) flower vases". Meanwhile, the imperial families of Russia and other countries also had some porcelains custom-made in China. China's porcelain also found a good sale in America, Australia and most countries and regions in Africa. In 1715, the Eastern India Company of Britain set up a trade center in Guangzhou, and the businessmen from France, the Netherlands, Denmark and Sweden followed suit. These further increased the export volume of China's porcelain. In the later half of the 18th century, the exports of China's porcelains dropped slightly owing to the emergence of a large number of imitations in Europe. Yet because of their high costs, the European porcelain imitations failed to win back the large market still held by China's porcelain. According to the British Guide to London (1774), there were at least 52 commission businesses then in London specialized in the trading of China's porcelain imitations or receiving orders for custom-made China's porcelain. Since the mid 19th century, with the fall of the national strength of Qing government and the development of Japanese and European porcelain industry, the exports of China's porcelain gradually fell into decay. Exported porcelains came from official and civilian kilns in Qing Dynasty those made in official kilns were mostly given as rewards to foreign countries by the Palace and only constitute a small amount. Porcelains made in civilian kilns took the lion's share of the exports and flooded into other countries through non-government trade. Exported porcelain included those made in Jingdezhen of Jiangxi, which constituted the major part of the exports, and some made in the kilns of Guangdong and Fujian. They also included some porcelains called "guangcai" (colored porcelain of Guangzhou), which were fired in Jingdezhen, but colored in Guangzhou. It was also heard that some porcelains made in China were glazed and colored after they were transported to Europe. The types of exported porcelain were mainly tableware and coffee sets, in addition to the so-called "emblem porcelain" used by European armies and nobles during military-rank-conferring ceremonies and other grand celebrations.

Manufacture in Private Kiln for Official Kiln


A policy in porcelain making enforced mainly in Qing Dynasty. This policy, however, was partly in operation in late Ming. After the 19th year of Kangxi, it became a fixed institution, according to which official kiln ware quota allotted to private owned kilns took the best facilities, and owners must pay for any possible damages in the producing process. For the kiln owners, this policy was nothing other than exploitation. With the enlargement of the size of Imperial Porcelain Factory in Qing Dynasty, this institution was gradually out of use.

 

Langyao Kiln


In the period from the 44th (A.D.1705) to the 51st (A.D.1712) year of Kangxi Reign of Qing, Lang Tingji directly managed the Imperial Kiln Factory in Jingdezhen while holding the post of provincial governor of Jiangxi. Porcelain ware made by the official kiln within this period were named as Langyao ware, or abbreviated as Langyao. The greatest achievement of Langyao was the success in producing "Langyao red" another greater achievement was the imitation of Ming's Xuande and Chenghua ware. The exquisite imitated objects were almost exactly the same as the original one, exceedingly difficult even for the experts to authenticate.

Club-Shaped Vase


Wide mouth flared outwards, upright neck, round shoulder, cylindrical belly, ring foot, named because of its modeling like a wooden club used in clothes washing. It was a typical work prevalent in Jingdezhen civilian kiln during Kangxi Reign, which was still made in small amount till early Yongzheng Reign. The varieties included qinghua case, five-colored glazed vase, black glazed and gilt vase, sprayed blue glazed vase, color-pattern-paneled vase, etc., with quit a number of works handed down from that time.
Return

Porcelain of Kangxi Reign (1662-1722 AD)

Porcelain production achieved high development during Kangxi Reign, when the names of officials in charge of porcelain affairs were for the first time used as kiln titles. The two works of Zang ware and Lang ware enjoyed wide reputations for their quality porcelains. Zang ware products were made of delicate clay and had glistening and thin glaze. The most famous Zang ware included porcelain in snakeskin green, eel-blood red, apricot green, or with spotted yellow. They stood for the production level in the early Kangxi Reign. Lang ware, embodying the production level in the late Kangxi Reign, were most famous for the imitations of porcelains in red glaze and in qinghua of Xuande, and contrasting colored porcelain and white glazed bodiless porcelain of Chenghua. Porcelains were of novel shapes with considerable varieties during Kangxi Reign, such as club-shaped vases, willow-leaf-shaped vases, Guanyin (slender-neck-shaped) vases, horsehoof-shaped Zun and flower Gu. Remarkable achievements were also made in the production of the porcelains in qinghua, five-colors and copper red glaze. Apart from red, green, brown, purple and yellow, which were previously included in the five-colors, overglaze blue color and black color were also invented, in addition to the use of golden color. The most important attainment of Kangxi Reign was the invention of cloisonnýÈ and fencai decoration.

Oil-Mallet-Shaped vase


Small mouth with round lip, thin and long neck, large and round belly, unglazed flattened base or glazed ring foot, thick and weight body, named after its modeling just like a oil-mallet used to extract oil in oil mill. It was created in the Jingdezhen kiln during Kangxi Reign, with assortments including qinghua vase, underglaze red vase, five-colored vase, single tricolors vase without red, red and green glazed and gilt vase, sprayed blue glazed vase, black gilt vase, etc.

 Phoenix-Tail-Shaped Zun


Trumped-shaped mouth, upright neck, round and bulging belly, flattened and everted outwards base mostly with two-layered ring foot, named so since it extended like the open tail of phoenix from lower belly to foot. The phoenix-tail-shaped Zun evolved from the flower-shaped Gu of Yaun and Ming Dynasties, which was one of the varieties of the flower-shaped Gu. Most of products from Jingdezhen were made in the civilian kilns, including the Zun in qinghua, five-colors, tricolors, traced in gold and so on. It was still made till the mid-phase and late of Qing Dynasty to the Republic of China.

  Taibai Zun

Also named fisherman Zun because of its shape similar to a fishing net of fisherman. Small mouth gently everted, short neck, wide belly, short body, flattened base, mostly with ox hair pattern on body, only several cun (equals 3.33cm) high, once used for water injection in study room. It was created in the Jingdezhen official kiln in kangxi Reign, Qing Dynasty. Six-character mark in three rows in regular script often seen on the base, the kidney-bean red glazed one was the most famous.

Fencai (famille rose)


It was a new variety of porcelain color based on the five-colors, created under the influence of cloisonnýÈ, belonging to the variety of overglaze colors because of its colors added over the glaze. The characteristics was that it had changed the stiff relations between five colors since it was first of all filled with a layer of "glassy white" and then drawn patterns on the "glassy white" with the pigments in need, which made the bright and black distinctive, and the transition of the colors with the washing way made each color rich in gradation, soft, pretty and charming, thus it was also called "soft colors". Fencai was a result of the further development of five-colors, and a new achievement in the porcelain production in Qing Dynasty. It was create in the Jingdezhen kiln in Kangxi Reign and prevailed in Yongzheng Reign, and still saw remarkable development in Qianlong Reign with more varieties and more sophistic patterns.

  Guanyin Zun


Wide flared mouth, short neck, wide and broad shoulder, gently narrowing down from the belly and gently enlarging to the base, ring foot, similar size between the mouth and base. The modeling appeared thick and weight and magnificent, just like the form of the vase held by Guanyin the Mother Buddha, thus, it was named so. It was created in the Jingdezhen kiln in Kangxi Reign, Qing Dynasty. It had the varieties of the work in qinghua, five-colors, tricolors, sprayed blue glaze, black, gilt glaze, Dongqing glaze and Langyao red, of which, the Langyao red was the most priceless.

  Cloisonne (Cloisonne Enamel)

It was made and drawn out with a kind of color pigment mixed with enamel. It was said that this kind color pigment was imported from Europe, with its chemical compounds including large amount of boron and arsenic. The striking characteristics of cloisonnýÈ were the stability in color, strong sense of main body in tableau and magnificent colors, which was the top-class porcelain color for emperor's use in the palace. During the making of it, the painter employed by the palace drew out a rough sketch first of all, and then the craftsman followed the sketch to paint on the porcelain, both painting and kilning were extremely meticulous, highly praised as the "world miracle." It was created in Kangxi Reign of Qing Dynasty and Prevailed in Yongzheng and Qianlong Reigns. The works with cloisonnýÈ were often with patterns of flowers and birds, bamboo and rockery, landscape, all accompanied with calligraphic characters, making it a artistic treasure integrating the porcelain-making technology with poem, calligraphy and painting.

  Horsehoof-shaped Zun


Wide mouth with round and gently narrowed lip, sloping shoulder, wide belly, flattened base, named since it looked like a horsehoof. The work with underglazed red patterns of flowers is the most precious in the products made in the Jingdezhen kiln in Kangxi Reign.

Porcelain of Yongzheng (1723-1735 AD)


Cloisonne and fencai decoration were well developed during Yongzheng Reign, featured by the creation of all shades of colors on the porcelains. The Nian kiln was rather famous, which was named after Nian Xirao, an official with Huaian Tax Department in charge of official kilns of Jingdezhen. Its products, which were delicate and elegant, inherited the styles of former generations while bringing forth some new ideas. Decorative patterns were dominated by those of flowers and birds, and floral sprays pattern was a main style; and rouge red and jasper green glaze were the most important. There was also a kind of work called bodiless porcelain, most well-known for its snow white porcelain texture. Apart from being egg-shelled, it had patterns so delicately painted that even dews on flowers and worm downs could be discerned, and characters on them were of the size of a fly's head, demonstrating incomparable craftsmanship.

  Lantern-shaped Vase


Short neck, round-cylinder-shaped belly, ring foot, named after its modeling like a lantern. It was created in the Jingdezhen official kiln during Yongzheng Reign, mostly made during Qianlong Reign with various sizes available. The best of the works handed down is the work with the patterns of flying phoenix crossing flowers in underglaze red, of five-colored butter flies, and of landscape in rouge red.

Grisaille color (or Chinese-ink color)

Grisaille color is a kind of glaze color used in pattern painting, generated through baking at a comparatively low temperature after imitating with grisaille pigment the effect of Chinese-ink painting on the white paper, with rich ink gradation and elegant color contrast. It was thus once called as "colored Chinese-ink". Grisaille color with such effect was invented by Jingdezhen kilns in Yongzheng Reign, Qing Dynasty.

Awarding Vase

It was named so because it was the vase once used for awarding by emperors. Everted mouth, thin neck, round belly, and ring foot. With neck decorated with "banana-leaf pattern in underglaze blue", with belly with "lotus scrolls pattern", in the meaning of being honest and upright as a official, most of them were put on vase-shelf for display. It was made in Yongzheng Reign, Qing Dynasty, and a large quantity was made after Qianlong Reign. There were two modeling including the one without pattern on shoulder and the other with two relief string patterns on shoulder.

Porcelain of Qianlong Reign (1736-1795 AD)


Both colored and monochromic glazed porcelains attained high levels during this period. This could be attributed to the craze for porcelains of the emperor Qianlong who himself was an expert in porcelain appreciation. This helped push the porcelain techniques of that time to a historical high. Various works of novel styles appeared in succession, displaying the acme of perfection. The Tang kiln was the most prominent during Qianlong Reign, whose imitations of famous porcelains and glazes of ancient times could pass for the authentic. Some other glaze colors were invented, such as yang (foreign) purple, fahua green with silver, colored Chinese ink, and yang black and golden. The production of cloisonnýÈ ware also flourished. Porcelains like "Animal- or plant-shaped porcelains", porcelain with revolvable bodies or with revolvable neck were very popular, such as the imitations of walnut, peanut, pomegranate, lots root, pumpkin, crab, and conch, which were absolutely lifelike. Nobody can but take a fancy to them on seeing them. Imitations of the ware of bronze, lacquer, wooden, bamboo and jade of ancient times also looked exactly like the genuine. The period also saw the emergence of a kind of porcelains jointly in the glazes of red, blue, Jun and Ge as well as in the colors of qinghua, five-colors, fencai and contrasting colors. They demonstrate incomparably superb craftsmanship. However the artistic tastes were on the decline in this period.

Buddhism Pot


Also called "Tibetan-plant pot" in vulgar. Nether-millstone-like mouth, thin and long neck, both crooked long spout and mouth with covers, ball-like belly with trumpet-shaped foot on the base. The shape of the pot was slightly like a pagoda. It was once the sacrificial vessel used in the palace, created in Qianlong Reign of Qing Dynasty, with the products handed down including the red, the gold and the fencai.

He-type Pot


An ancient porcelain or bronze vessel for warming wine. The earliest porcelain He appeared in the Eastern Zhou Period, mostly imitating the simple and unsophisticated style of bronze ware. In Sui and Tang Dynasties, its style gradually turned to novelty. In Qianlong Reign of Qing Dynasty, He type pot emerged imitating the bronze style with a handle, a spout, and four feet under the belly, fully decorated with qinghua patterns of lotus scrolls and eight treasures. Its production did not stop till Daoguan Reign.

Cap Rack


A rack used as a shelf on which to place a cap. Jiaqing Reign, Qing Dynasty may have seen the first porcelain cap rack and up to the Republic of China, it was still produced by the kilns. The rack shows a tall cylindrical type. The wall of its body is usually of some openwork decoration. Its varieties embrace qinghua and fencai.

Light Crimson Color


One of the colored porcelain decorations, popular since Jiajing and Daoguang Reigns, Qing Dynasty. It imitates the skills of Chinese painting in drawing patterns with Chinese-ink and pale brown pigment. Its effect is elegant in light and soft hue. Famous porcelain painters good at this method include Wang Tingzuo, Jin Pinqing, and Cheng Men.

Hongxian poecelain (Ju Ren Hall)


In 1916, Yuan Shikai declared himself Emperor and changed the year of the Republic of china into Hongxiang Reign. Yuan appointed Guo Baochang to supervise porcelain-making in Jingdezhen. The porcelain made at that time was commonly called as "Hongxian porcelain" which was fairly high in quality. Most of "Hongxian porcelain" had an inscription-mark of "Ju Ren Hall". And the porcelain ware with the mark of "Made for Emperor in Hongxian Reign" or "made in Hongxian Reign" were mostly counterfeit.