Rediscovering lost art
May 26, 2012, Saturday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
IN the 17th and 18th centuries, European noblemen were keen collectors of Chinese porcelain that they often had made to order. Some never-before-seen pieces of those collections are now on display at a Minhang museum, providing a rare glimpse of exquisite chinaware through Western eyes.
Chinese porcelain is a national treasure, but some of the finest pieces of ancient artwork were never seen by people on the mainland because they were made for export and shipped overseas.
The Minhang District Museum is now offering a rare look at this "lost" art in an exhibition through July 25.
The show features 105 pieces, including plates, tea cups, vases, teapots and milk cups manufactured during reigns of the Emperor Kangxi and Emperor Yongzheng from the 17th and 18th centuries. That was the last "golden era" of porcelain.
China started exporting chinaware during the Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368) and continued through the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).
To many native eyes, the delicate blue and white shapes and the designs of many of these pieces may look uncharacteristic and unfamiliar.
The export trade thrived because Europe, at that time, hadn't acquired the technique of hard porcelain production. Importing porcelain from China was all the rage among the European upper classes. Every year more than 3 million pieces of porcelain products were sold in Europe.
Emperor Yongzheng and his successors took a xenophobic attitude toward the outside world, almost halting the trade in porcelain. Still, some pieces continued to slip out of the country for the next hundred years, giving Western cultures a brief glimpse of Chinese craft at its best.
Western buyers often specified exactly how they wanted their porcelain custom-made. That means some of the pieces on display don't exhibit traditional and authentic Chinese forms or painted images.
Some pieces, in fact, were adorned with the coats of arms of noble buyers in the 18th century.
Most of the porcelain in the show is exhibited in the Western-style setting it was intended.
"Because of difference in lifestyles, such things as tea sets or ornamental plates look out of place when compared with those used by Chinese families in the Qing Dynasty," said Song Yu, an official with the museum.
All of the exhibits come from the Hangzhou Southern Song Dynasty Official Kiln Museum, which collected the exported porcelain from private collectors or auctions. Some of the porcelains were originally salvaged from sunken ships in the 1980s and 90s from the seas around China.
Highlights of the exhibition
Large covered pot from the reign of Emperor Kangxi
The pot stands 66 centimeters tall and is the highlight of the exhibition. The pot is painted with two designs: one showing a grand cathedral of Europe and the other typical Chinese flowers.
The work symbolizes the artistic blend of East and West during that era, the museum said.
Decorative plate: 'The tale of the White Snake'
The painting on the plate depicts a scene from the traditional Chinese love story about a man and a white serpent who takes on human form. The plate's owner in the 17th century probably had no idea of the enchanting tale.
Where to go
Date: Through July 25, 9am-4:30pm (Tuesday to Sunday)
Admission: free
Venue: Chunshen Culture Plaza
Address: 2/F, 85 Mingdu Rd
Chinese porcelain is a national treasure, but some of the finest pieces of ancient artwork were never seen by people on the mainland because they were made for export and shipped overseas.
The Minhang District Museum is now offering a rare look at this "lost" art in an exhibition through July 25.
The show features 105 pieces, including plates, tea cups, vases, teapots and milk cups manufactured during reigns of the Emperor Kangxi and Emperor Yongzheng from the 17th and 18th centuries. That was the last "golden era" of porcelain.
China started exporting chinaware during the Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368) and continued through the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).
To many native eyes, the delicate blue and white shapes and the designs of many of these pieces may look uncharacteristic and unfamiliar.
The export trade thrived because Europe, at that time, hadn't acquired the technique of hard porcelain production. Importing porcelain from China was all the rage among the European upper classes. Every year more than 3 million pieces of porcelain products were sold in Europe.
Emperor Yongzheng and his successors took a xenophobic attitude toward the outside world, almost halting the trade in porcelain. Still, some pieces continued to slip out of the country for the next hundred years, giving Western cultures a brief glimpse of Chinese craft at its best.
Western buyers often specified exactly how they wanted their porcelain custom-made. That means some of the pieces on display don't exhibit traditional and authentic Chinese forms or painted images.
Some pieces, in fact, were adorned with the coats of arms of noble buyers in the 18th century.
Most of the porcelain in the show is exhibited in the Western-style setting it was intended.
"Because of difference in lifestyles, such things as tea sets or ornamental plates look out of place when compared with those used by Chinese families in the Qing Dynasty," said Song Yu, an official with the museum.
All of the exhibits come from the Hangzhou Southern Song Dynasty Official Kiln Museum, which collected the exported porcelain from private collectors or auctions. Some of the porcelains were originally salvaged from sunken ships in the 1980s and 90s from the seas around China.
Highlights of the exhibition
Large covered pot from the reign of Emperor Kangxi
The pot stands 66 centimeters tall and is the highlight of the exhibition. The pot is painted with two designs: one showing a grand cathedral of Europe and the other typical Chinese flowers.
The work symbolizes the artistic blend of East and West during that era, the museum said.
Decorative plate: 'The tale of the White Snake'
The painting on the plate depicts a scene from the traditional Chinese love story about a man and a white serpent who takes on human form. The plate's owner in the 17th century probably had no idea of the enchanting tale.
Where to go
Date: Through July 25, 9am-4:30pm (Tuesday to Sunday)
Admission: free
Venue: Chunshen Culture Plaza
Address: 2/F, 85 Mingdu Rd
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