Yu Biao ¹, Xing Peng ²

(1. Jiangxi University of Finance and Economics, Nanchang 330013, Jiangxi, China; 2. Jingdezhen Ceramic University, Jingdezhen 333403, Jiangxi, China)

Extended abstract:

[Background and purposes] Generally, the importance of ceramic products lies in the several aspects, including production technology, practicality in daily life, aesthetic decoration and economic value in trade. Because ceramic culture is so broad, it holds an important position in the study of ancient art. This is especially true when a ceramic variety is in a period of social transition, representing technological change and fully reflecting the exchange of craft cultures between different regions and the research value is even greater then. Numerous articles, in both Chinese and foreign languages, have been available about Qing Dynasty famille rose porcelain and its techniques, including textual research on nomenclature, tracing the origins of the craft and analyzing its techniques and artistic characteristics. However, research on the cultural symbolism and craft traditions behind famille rose porcelain from a specific cultural context is still relatively limited. This article was attempted to analyze and interpret the cultural characteristics of famille rose porcelain from the Kangxi and Yongzheng periods of the Qing Dynasty, using a specific historical background and specific artifacts.

[Methods] To provide a comprehensive and detailed analysis of the early famille rose porcelain craftsmanship, this study is to integrate various analytical methods, primarily including the interpretation of historical documents, descriptions of artifact styles, analysis of techniques and cultural interpretation. The interpretation of historical documents is fundamental to the research and provides a relatively accurate reflection of the background of the early famille rose porcelain craftsmanship's emergence and development. Therefore, the documents, such as the archives of the Qing Dynasty Imperial Workshops, Tang Ying's collected works and Tao Shuo (a collection of ancient Chinese texts), were fully used. Style and techniques are the focus of famille rose art research, not only presenting the production and use of famille rose porcelain on a material level, but also embodying its cultural symbolism on a spiritual level. The method of cultural interpretation attempts to provide an in-depth explanation of the emergence of the famille rose craftsmanship and the formation of its traditions.

[Results] Around 1681, the nineteenth year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign, the Qing court resumed the firing activities of the imperial kilns to demonstrate the emperor's control and authority. The Kangxi Emperor mobilized local manpower and resources to experiment and produce enamelware for the court. Early production activities were then carried out at the imperial kilns using enamel pigments and painting techniques. It was under this will of power that a new type of painting technique emerged, giving rise to a new variety of porcelain that changed the style of 18th-century porcelain, famille rose porcelain. Famille rose porcelain, as a result of the Qing court's introduction of Western enamel painting techniques, was ultimately intended only to serve the court in producing imperial wares. The rulers at the time did not consider extending the technology to common people. Just as the court introduced Western science and technology during the Kangxi era only to demonstrate the monarch's powerful control or to satisfy the monarch's own interests, the purpose was always to serve the court and the monarch. During the Yongzheng period, the famille rose porcelain technique from the Jingdezhen imperial kilns was introduced to common people through experienced painters. This new decorative style of porcelain was favored by foreign consumers, leading to large-scale orders for famille rose porcelain. This injected vigorous vitality into the development of famille rose porcelain craftsmanship in Jingdezhen and laid the foundation for the formation and inheritance of the famille rose porcelain tradition. The decorative technique of famille rose porcelain not only created a new tradition in Chinese painted decoration, but also influenced the development of European painted porcelain decoration in the 18th century.

[Conclusions] Firstly, the purpose of using a craft determines its nature, that is, the craft presents its cultural characteristics through specific products. During the Yongzheng period, the introduction of the "Imperial Court Style" not only demonstrated control over the craft, but also reflected the prestige of court-made famille rose porcelain, distinguishing it from folk products, while implicitly representing the supreme power of the emperor. The application and display of new techniques possess their own cultural value and famille rose porcelain provided an opportunity for this display. Secondly, unlike tangible objects, crafts are composed of a series of continuous actions. They only have practical significance when accompanied by the artisans' production. Therefore, the court's control over the craft was limited to its application. It did not attempt to control or restrict the artisans who mastered the techniques. Thus, the famille rose craft gained fluidity through the artisans, allowing it to be passed down among them and hence forming a craft tradition. Only through the continuation of tradition can the cultural essence of the famille rose craft continuously exhibit vitality and dynamism.

Key words: Qing Dynasty; famille rose porcelain; craft culture; tradition