Basically, it is a technique where glazed, usually white, porcelain is carved (or engraved) with a knife or other tools, and the resulting pattern is then filled with ink or pigment, usually black. The porcelain is then wiped clean leaving the black lines. It is then often waxed to seal in the colour. Here are some of the modern day tools used in this carving –
I first saw porcelains displaying this technique in the Shanghai Arts & Crafts Museum in 2016. They were probably made in the 1980s/1990s. I then researched more, and found several older pieces from the Late Qing dynasty.
Of course, many collectors are aware of porcelains which have the owner’s name carved/engraved (often with dots) into the body or base –
This is example is just a crude version of the technique, for practical use only.
Here are some close ups of the method on porcelains around the turn of the C19th/C20th; they are evocative, even smokey, and quite different to painted porcelains:
ORIGINS and History
Although porcelains were carved during the Song period and earlier, this was done prior to glazing, and is considered a completely different technique and craft. The earliest records in the literature state that the carved porcelain (after glazing) technique was first used in the court of Qianlong in the C18th. However, the only example I have found so far is from Parma’s Museum of Chinese Art and Ethnography, and although dated as Qianlong, it could just as easily, or more likely to be C19th:
It must be noted that searching for these wares online is fraught – it is hard to figure out the Chinese name or description, nor its English counterpart, until now – Carved Porcelain 瓷刻 Cí Kè, or even 刻瓷 Kè Cí.
Then, the reports I have searched state that the first examples are to be found from the Daoguang period. However, the reports which make this claim do not show any such examples either.
So, the earliest examples I have found for carved and dated porcelains are from the 1870s onwards, into the early C20th, with the last Republic period ones from around the 1930s.
This is the first period (1870s-1930s) of widespread porcelain carving that I can reliably report on.
After the Cultural Revolution, the ceramics schools started to introduce this technique again, and by the 1980s several new innovations in technique and patterns can be observed. The whole look of porcelain carving seems to have changed – more detailed and precise, with the use of tiny dots to form intricate landscapes and pattern immediately apparent. This ‘revival’ has continued into the C21st with the hobby of carving porcelain becoming popular with the masses. I would suggest that the second period of widespread use of this technique is the 1980s.
Late Qing and Republic examples
Let’s look at a few dated examples first:
1876 dated (but could, at a stretch be 1936?)1877 (or 1937?, unlikely)1894 – teabowl with saucer/stand and lid. The shallow carving on the lid has almost completely worn off, and looks quite shadowy1899 – note the use of small amounts of coloured ‘ink’ in this plaque and the one dated 1910 below1906 – bowl
The next two examples are from the book – “The Great Fortune” Chinese ceramics from the Weishaupt Collection and considered to be Xuantong (1908-1911)
1909 – cylindrical vaseLid of teapot1910 – plaque1915 – teabowl1922 – flat lidded jar with peach finial1922 – flat lidded jar with peach finial, inscription1922 – vase1923 – seal paste boxas above1925 – seal paste box1927 – tea tray
Below, some further, undated, examples from the Late Qing/Republic Period:
an interesting large serving pot with ‘bapo’ or the 8 brokens decorations, plus a substantial inscription
And some closeups of the decoration, style and technique:
The examples above show a variety of scenes, but figural scenes predominate, and flowers and birds are common. The inscriptions are mainly in the ‘ghost’ form where the whole outline of the Chinese character is carved, very distinctive! Most examples are unmarked, some have ‘Guan Yao Nei Zao’ marks, a few have private company seal or kaishu marks. Overall, the carving is soft and shallow, giving a restrained elegance to many of the examples. This soft carving does, however, mean that there is often some substantial wear to these items.
2. 1980s and later examples
The first 3 examples below are from the Shanghai Museum of Arts & Crafts. Set in an old French ‘Renaissance-style’ mansion, all manner of recent (post 1949) art & crafts are on display, as well as modern day craftspeople displaying their techniques (especially embroidery). I can’t make out a date on all these pieces but they would likely be c. 1980s or slightly later.
Immediately you can see how the technique of carving has changed; deeper, more intense and detailed; and primarily made up of landscapes.
The next 2 images, from the same museum, show a plaque dated 1983, Again, the subject matter is far removed from the Late Qing and Republic period pieces.
These two seal boxes below show this ‘new’ intensity, and delicacy. They are dated 1980.
closeup of the carving from the seal box aboveThis seal box above has a date for 1987, Ding Mao, with a seal mark – ‘Jingdezhen Zhi’. The porcelain has a yellowish glaze which is consistent with the datingclose up of aboveBase and mark of above
3. 21st Century examples
In the last 10-20 years there has been a resurgence of interest in this Keci technique, with hobby classes becoming popular and high-end craftspeople also developing new techniques. Here are some examples:
And, unfortunately, recent copies of the Late Qing/Republic period Keci porcelains are now available – they show none of the soft nuance of the originals, little or no wear, an over glossy and thick finish:
C21st example after Late Qing/Republic examplesas above, close up
I hope this provides an insight into yet another area of Chinese porcelains from the Late Qing and C20th.
Cheers,
Michaela Russell, Sydney, Australia
Bibliography:
The Great Fortune, Chinese & Japanese Porcelain of the 19th and 20th centuries & their forerunners, from the Weishaupt Collection 2002
ISBN 3-00-010306-6 Ed. George Weishaupt
Websites: (retrieved 2022/2023) – click on these at your own risk. I have found that some older websites have viruses (usually readily secured by even basic security software)
Shanghai Porcelains in the Republic Period – Part 1
I think I could write a book about this subject, but instead I will just tackle this huge subject in parts:
Shanghai Department Store flagship porcelains – THIS REPORT
Porcelains with ‘Shanghai’ in the mark or inscription; Hua Cha Tea Company and known Shanghai affiliates
‘Jian Hua’ Company porcelains
‘Li Hua’ Company porcelains
Part 1: Shanghai Department Store porcelain
To set the scene: Shanghai in the 1920s and 1930s
This view looking east along Nanjing Road shows the four department stores. Taken after the opening of the Da Xin Department Store (last one built). So c.1937, prior to the Japanese invasion of Shanghai later that year.1935 map of Shanghai – see inset below (https://www.reddit.com/r/MapPorn/comments/jdp7tz/illustrated_historical_map_of_shanghai_1935/)Detail of above map, showing location of the 4 Shanghai Department Stores along Nanjing Road, from L to R, Big Sun (Da Xin 大新 1936);Sun Sun (Xin Xin 新新1926);Sincere(Xian Shi 先 施 1917);Wing on (Yongan 永安 1918)
Although there were a few foreign owned Department Stores in Shanghai in the first part of the C20th, the most prosperous and remembered were the ‘Top 4’, all owned and run by Chinese from southern China, who had migrated to Australia during the gold rush and found their way into commerce there, seen the magnificence of the Anthony Hordern Department Store nearby to Chinatown in Sydney, and brought back the experience to Hong Kong and Shanghai.
The Chinese and foreigners came in droves to experience the new buildings on Nanjing Road, the expansive shopping, the modern approach to sales and marketing, the restaurants, movie theatres, top floor bars and other entertainments on offer. All four impressive, now ‘old’ buildings remain on Nanjing Road today, albeit with different uses.
The four main Chinese owned department stores in Shanghai were:
Xianshi Department store (先 施 Xiān shī – ‘Sincere’ – its name is a transliteration of the word “Sincere” (honest and reliable)); founder – Ma Yingbaio (Ma Ying Piu): operated 1917 -1952 (Hong Kong 1899; Guangzhou 1912 )
2. Yongan Department store (永安 Yǒng’ān ‘forever, eternal Peace’ (Wing On in Cantonese); Founders – Guo Le and Guo Quan (Kwok Lok and Kwok Chuen in Cantonese); operated September 1918 – still operating as Yongan but has been state owned since the 1950s (three stores still in HK run by descendants, as Wing On)
3. Xin Xin Department Store (新新 Xīn xīn ‘new new’ or Sun Sun); Founders – Huang Huannan, Liu Xiji and Li Linzhou; Operated 1926 -1949 (now the Shanghai 1st Food Store)
4. Da Xin Department Store (大新 Dà xīn ‘The Sun’ or ‘big & new’); Founder – Cai Chang (Choy Chong in Cantonese); Operated 1936-1952 (Guangzhou store opened in 1931). Became the top store after WWII. In December 1952, Daxin Department Store changed its name to “Shanghai No. 1 Department Store” Shi Baiyi store, state run.
A selection of photos of these remarkable department stores can be found in APPENDIX I at the end of this report.
PORCELAINS
There are many histories about these four Department stores online, links can be found at the end of this report. All were located along the Nanjing Rd (originally Nanking Rd), the main shopping street in Shanghai in the roaring 1920s and 1930s. All of the purpose-built buildings still survive, and can be seen on a stroll down Nanjing Road pedestrian mall today.
Here though, I will concentrate on their porcelains, and the examples which bear their company basemark. In the Republic Period, each of these companies sold porcelains bearing their company’s flagship name. For each company there is also a time range for these porcelains to have been sold, which is a big help for dating.
In general, these companies appear to have commissioned a very small range of decorations/patterns for their porcelains. Each company had a different approach to choosing their porcelain range, with some small crossover. As you will see below, it would appear that only bowls, teabowls, dishes, plates and teapots have survived, although it is reported other shapes were made as well (vase, serving bowls etc).
The following extract (some google translate elements changed for clarity) details the only information I can find out about porcelain production for these companies – this pertaining to seemingly the largest porcelain seller – Xian Shi Co:
“Xianshi Zhen Porcelain Produced by Zhongshan People
Source: Zhongshan Business Daily, January 4, 2010
Zhang Zhongwei, a 90-year-old Zhongshan man who used to be an employee of Shanghai Xianshi Company, told reporters that the Xianshi company also has a special ceramics department, which has a wide variety of products, such as vases, tea sets, tableware, smoking sets, and the four treasures of the study. It was none other than Zhang Zhongwei’s uncle and Zheng Liangjun’s brother Zheng Zizhang who once served as the head of the ceramics department of Hong Kong Xianshi Department Store.
Shi Haigou Shen: The Zhongshan native who supervises the production of “Xian Shi Zhen Porcelain”
The advanced management concept of Xianshi Company has been talked about by Zhang Zhongwei, a 90-year-old Zhongshan native who once worked in Shanghai Xianshi Company. In order to ensure that the goods are genuine and of high quality, Xianshi does not hesitate to send special personnel to the place of origin of the famous brand to directly customize the goods. In its “Global Department Store”, in addition to French perfumes and other imported items, there are also Jingdezhen porcelain made in China.
The porcelain department of Xianshi Company is huge. Zhang Zhongwei recalled that, taking the Hong Kong one as an example, it was the size of the first floor of the One Plus One supermarket in the East Gate. “Zheng Liangjun’s elder brother, Zheng Zizhang, once represented Xianshi Company in Jingdezhen to personally supervise the production of porcelain. After leaving the kiln, it was selected and then packed and shipped to Hong Kong.” Zhang Zhongwei told reporters that Zheng Zizhang was his uncle, and the porcelain plate statue of his grandmother hung at Zhang Zhongwei’s house, also made by Zheng Zizhang in Jingdezhen. As a buyer, Zheng Zizhang spends three months in Jingdezhen every year, and lives in Maoliao with the porcelain workers. At night, the desolation around him often made his heart tremble.
Zheng Zizhang worked diligently, but unexpectedly one of his own jokes ruined his future in Xianshi. Zheng Gansheng, the director of Xianshi Company, is Zheng Zizhang’s cousin and believes in Christianity. One year, Zheng Zizhang wanted to make a joke with him. He asked a porcelain worker to burn a statue of Luke, a disciple of Christ, and brought it back to the company to ask Zheng Gansheng for advice: “Third uncle, you are a devout Christian, do you know who this disciple is?” Zheng Gansheng was dumbfounded and said no. He thought that Zheng Zizhang had lost his face in public, so he had a grudge, and soon fired Zheng Zizhang. Zheng Zizhang later defected to his younger brother Zheng Liangjun to run the “water pine tree” business….
The cups and saucers with the “Xianshi Treasures” (Xian Shi Zhen Pin) in the collection of Zhongshan collectors are the porcelain customized by Xianshi at Jingdezhen……
Zhang Zhongwei said that in addition to the company’s anniversary, the porcelain department rarely offers discounts during the usual holidays. Xianshi will sell the damaged porcelain to internal employees at a low price after being transported to the company. Many foreign customers come in to buy Chinese porcelain. They are particularly fond of porcelain with Chinese landscapes and flower patterns. Foreigners need more tableware and cups for catering. They often choose styles from product catalogs and order in large quantities. Xianshi porcelain should also be sold in boxes of dozens of each according to their needs.
Yu Naigang, president of the Zhongshan Ancient Ceramics Research Association, said that although the period of the Republic of China porcelain was relatively short, he had seen so many real objects, and some of them were better than the products from the Tongzhi and Xianfeng years. After “Tongguang Zhuangxing”, ceramic art also absorbed many Western styles. The influence of Western culture can also be seen on Xianshi porcelain. For example, the pastel teacup is completely the tea set used in English afternoon tea…..
The product quality and cost of Xianshi Company and Jiangxi Porcelain Company are also comparable to those of “Official Kiln”. Copyright statement: This article is reproduced by: Zizai Meilu”
Marks: The marks on these porcelains seem to show changes in style and colour and composition which only partially reflect their dating – underglaze blue handwritten marks in the early days, with red handwritten and stamped marks as time passed. The types of decoration mirrored these changes.
I will show all the images in the order of underglaze blue, handwritten red and then stamped red…..
Porcelains from the Xian Shi Company (先施)1917 -1952
By far the largest number of extant pieces come from the Xian Shi Company, and their quality was, in the early days, equivalent to those from the famed early Jiangxi Porcelain Company (Jiangxi Ciye Gongsi). These were produced in Jingdezhen, with the whole operation overseen by a specialist manager who often spent 3 months of every year in the porcelain city.
The most enigmatic, signature pattern on early Xian Shi brand porcelain consists of underglaze blue and white scrolling leaves or lines of squiggles, the latter with a diaper border, also in blue and white. Interspersed over these patterns is a series of fan or ogee shaped gold rimmed cartouche which contain exquisite renditions of overglaze flowers – all have an underglaze blue handwritten mark – ‘先施珍品’- ‘Xian Shi Zhen Pin’ = Xian Shi (Sincere) Treasure – here is a closeup of one:
‘Xian Shi Zhen Pin’ marks, handwritten underglaze blue (UGB)
All the examples above show the beautifully rendered flowers, especially chrysanthemums
Although this is the same pattern as above, the cartouche are now circular medallions and the quality of the flower painting is markedly less well doneAll the blue and white Xian Shi wares above show similarities to other porcelains of the same age (1910s-1920s) – the others have UGB Kangxi marks (example below) or other company (e.g. Jiangxi Porcelain Company) marks, or even UGB commendation or hallmarks. Underglaze blue wares generally become much scarcer in the 1930s up until the late 1940s – I have yet to find out whether this was a scarcity of cobalt blue and/or customer preference, or problems with the high fired kilns in Jingdezhen during these (1930s/1940s) turbulent times.Very similar pattern, with circular medallions and relatively ordinary overglaze flower painting (no gold) and a ‘Xian Shi Zhen Pin’ mark in a hue and style unlike those above – is this a later example (different painter and calligrapher) or is it very new?
NOT Xian Shi porcelains but which have similar elements and dating to those above, and different marks
Very similar pattern to the signature Xian Shi wares, with circular medallions and beautiful overglaze flower painting but with a ‘Ya Wan Zhen Cang’ markSimilar elements but much brighter flower painting, still well done, no gold, and different background blue & white diaper pattern, and a ‘Xin You Jian Zhi’ markAnother example, this one with a ‘Kangxi Nian Zhi’ mark, lovely painting, and some added border elements and flower balls. Probably from the 1910s/20sThis is yet another example with similar elements, but a red keyfret border, and an UGB ‘Jin Yu Zhen Cang’ markAnother similar pattern, but circular medallions, scrappy overglaze painting, one gilt band, no mark shown. This example came from a Chinese report where at least some of the items were tagged “Modern Hand-Painted Fine Imitation”, still to be determined.This strangely shaped teabowl with many elements similar to Xian Shi porcelains above but with a Xuantong mark and a multi-coloured key fret border, was being auctioned by multiple sellers online who appear to only sell copies: considered to be a C21st copy. Beautiful painting of orchids and flower ballsThis dish came with a grouping of ‘Xian Shi’ marked blue & white porcelains (below), but bears a ‘Kangxi Nian Zhi’ markThe similarities in these blue & white wares (with a range of marks) are common to this early C20th period….As you will see in the sections below many otherwise ‘overglaze enamel only’ decoration pieces from the 1910s/20s (or thereabouts) and from good quality makers, had an underglaze blue double circle on the base, and a red, usually handwritten, mark. This distinct combination on the plate is an example, but with a ‘Yong Xing Zhen Pin’ mark.Another example of an underglaze blue double circle and red handwritten mark on the base of this beautiful tea bowl – ‘Ru Xin Tang Zhi’ hall mark.
Interesting miscellaneous porcelain relating to the Xian Shi Company
Although this bowl has no base mark, just double underglaze blue circles, the inscription indicates that it was a gift to Zheng Zizhang, who, as noted above, was the overseer of porcelain manufacture for the Xian Shi Company and spent at least 3 months annually in Jingdezhen. The bowl is dated Wu Wu for 1918.
‘Xian Shi Zhen Pin’ marks, red handwritten
These enameled examples are all very typical of the 1920s and 1930s, good quality, and one can imagine them coming in dinner or tea sets, with both Chinese and Western styles. Most are white ground with either flowers or geometric (i-ching type?) patterns. A rare ruby/carmine sgraffito example at the end.
‘Xian Shi Zhen Pin’ mark, red handwritten‘Xian Shi Zhen Pin’ mark, red handwritten‘Xian Shi Zhen Pin’ mark, red handwritten‘Xian Shi Zhen Pin’ mark, red handwritten‘Xian Shi Zhen Pin’ mark, red handwritten‘Xian Shi Zhen Pin’ mark, red handwritten‘Xian Shi Zhen Pin’ mark, red handwritten‘Xian Shi Zhen Pin’ mark, red handwritten
‘Xian Shi Zhen Pin’ marks, red stamped
Similar enameled pieces but with stamped marks (and some with UGB double circles), the quality appears similar to those above for the most part. A few have stamped seal marks, and some have a single square mark border. The subject matter is similar, perhaps a few more birds!
‘Xian Shi Zhen Pin’ mark, red stamped, double UGB circles‘Xian Shi Zhen Pin’ mark, red stamped. There is a date in the inscription but I can’t decipher it.‘Xian Shi Zhen Pin’ mark, red stamped, double red square, double UGB circles‘Xian Shi Zhen Pin’ mark, red stamped, single red square,double UGB circles‘Xian Shi Zhen Pin’ mark, red stamped, single red square‘Xian Shi Zhen Pin’ seal mark, red stamped‘Xian Shi Zhen Pin’ seal mark, red stamped‘Xian Shi Zhen Pin’ seal mark, red stamped, single red square
‘Xian Shi Gongsi Chu Pin’ marks, red handwritten
These ‘Xian Shi Gongsi’ marks reflect a marked change in subject matter, but the quality is still very good, above average for Republic period dinnerwares. The main themes are ‘dragon & phoenix’ and ‘roosters’, and most have a multi-coloured keyfret border.
‘Xian Shi Gongsi Chu Pin’ mark, red handwritten‘Xian Shi Gongsi Chu Pin’ mark, red handwritten‘Xian Shi Gongsi Chu Pin’ mark, red handwritten‘Xian Shi Gongsi Chu Pin’ mark, red handwritten‘Xian Shi Gongsi Chu Pin’ mark, red handwritten
‘Xian Shi Gongsi Chu Pin’ mark, red stamped
Bogu (100 treasures) and flower balls decoration
‘Shanghai Xian Shi Gongsi’ marks, red handwritten
’Shanghai Xian Shi Gongsi’ mark, dragon & Phoenix with a multi-coloured keyfret border’Shanghai Xian Shi Gongsi Chu Pin’ mark, flower ball pattern with a ruyi border’Shanghai Xian Shi Gongsi Chu Pin’ mark, flower ball pattern with a ruyi border
‘Shanghai Xian Shi Gongsi Chu Pin’ mark, red stamped
’Shanghai Xian Shi Gongsi Chu Pin’ stamped mark, peaches, shou medallion with 5 bats and beribboned swastikas
‘Jiangxi Xian Shi Gongsi’ mark, red handwritten
It is unclear when and why the ‘Jiangxi’ prefix was added to the mark. For Nanchang produced pieces this happened after 1949, but it is impossible to determine if this is a similar situation. Certainly the dated ‘Jiangxi’ example below, for 1925, would suggest otherwise
‘Jiangxi Xian Shi Gongsi’ mark, red stamped
’Jiangxi Xian Shi Gongsi’, Red Stamped – Dated Yi Chou for 1925
It is tempting to believe that the red marks, and particularly the stamped ones are from later periods in the company’s production, 1930s or 1940s, but the example above, dated 1925, would dismiss this belief. Nonetheless, the underglaze blue examples are almost certainly earlier pieces, up to the end of the 1920s.
2. Porcelains from the Yongan Department store (永安) (Cantonese spellingis Wing On) 1918-1966, but still has 4 stores in Hong Kong (as Wing On) and traded in Taiwan for some time after 1949
These underglaze blue & white wares above show some similarities to the ones shown, made for the Xian Shi Company, but with their own distinct characteristics.
Below, the overglaze enamel porcelains from Yongan show many differences from the Xian Shi Company: in particular the use of the company name in the inscriptions, the preponderance of serving pots, and much more varied range of patterns.
’Yongan Gongsi Jian (?) Zhi’ Red stamped mark’Yongan Gongsi Jian Zhi’, overglaze blue stamped mark’Jiangxi Yongan She Ci’, red handwritten mark‘Yongan Jian Zhi’, Red handwritten markYongan in inscription, dated Ji Wei for 1919, tea set trayYongan Gongsi in inscription, dated Wu Wu for 1918, lidded serving potYongan Zhi in inscription, tea set trayYongan Gongsi in inscription, lidded serving potYongan in inscription, lidded serving potYongan Gongsi in inscription, dated Geng Shen 1920, lidded serving potYongan Gongsi in inscriptionYongan Gongsi in inscriptionYongan Gongsi in inscription, tea set tray‘Yongan Gongsi Jian Zhi’, Red handwritten mark‘Yongan Gongsi Jian Zhi’, Red handwritten markA fascinating combination of a PROC seal paste box from the 1950s (dating from mark) in a presentation box most likely from the Republic period – ‘Shanghai Yongan Gongsi Zhi’
3. Porcelains from the Xin Xin (Sun Sun) Department Store (新新) 1926 -1949
It is interesting that these underglaze blue & white porcelains above were still being made as late as 1936. I would previously have dated them only to the 1920s and earlier.
A very western shape and design! An opening day celebration plate.’Da Xin Zhen Pin’ Red handwritten mark’Da Xin Zhen Pin’ Red handwritten mark, and in the inscription’Da Xin ? Ci ? Xian’ Red mark’Da Xin Zhen Pin’ Red handwritten mark’Da Xin Zhen Pin’ Red handwritten mark’Da Xin Zhen Pin’ Red handwritten mark’Da Xin Zhen Pin’ Red stamped mark, and in inscription’Da Xin Zhen Pin’ Red stamped seal mark’Da Xin Zhen Pin’ Overglaze blue stamped mark
Generally, a very different and varied range of patterns for this company compared to the other 3 companies.
This example is from the Taiwan branch of Da Xin, and is most likely 1950s or later. All elements are stamped or printed, unlike the earlier pieces, where only some of the marks are stamped
I hope you have found this outline of the Shanghai Department Store commissioned porcelains illuminating. There were certainly a few interesting revelations about them for me. Collectively, they form an interesting group of Republic period patterns and pieces, with the added bonus of the photos and history of the shops and outlets from which they sold.
Although there are seemingly few examples of the porcelains from these Shanghai Department Store companies, I feel sure that there are many more out there, and that this report may provide the context for identifying them.
Increasingly I start a report on Chinese ceramics by looking at published sources such as books and museums. This is, of course, because of the plethora of newly made copies, especially since around 2010.
With this report I was surprised to initially find no C20th pieces with a snow scene before the works of the famous painter He Xuren. I checked all the big Qianjiang books that I have, and as many others which might give a few precursors – no snow scenes!
However, after some further searching, in the National Palace Museum in Taipei the following pair of vases from the Qianlong period are held.
3 seals are depicted on this vase above: “Le Shan Tang”, “Baohe Taihe” and “Wanbang Xianning”. They were first publicly exhibited in the Chengqian Palace of the Forbidden City (Beijing) in the 13th year of the Republic of China (1924), and were named “Hanjiang Du Diao Plum Bottles” (寒江獨釣梅瓶) at that time.
Further in the search for older snow scene examples, in 2012 Christies sold 4 dishes with snow scenes which they date to the Qianlong period:
4 dishes with a ‘De Cheng Zhai Zhi’ mark in iron red, auctioned previously in 2003’ Provenance – Frank Caro/C.T. Loo, New York. The dating was based on comparisons to a dish in the Percival David Collection and one in The National Palace Museum in Taipei, both Qianlong, but neither are snow landscapes. I believe that there is some scope for a re-examination of this dating and the mark.
He Xuren – authentic examples from books, museums, top auction houses etc
As you will see below He Xuren (1882-1940/41) is not only the most famous painter of snow scenes on porcelain, but possibly also one of the first in the C20th. One has to wonder if he ever got to see these marvelous vases, above, when they were exhibited in Beijing – it is entirely possible and they were no doubt the inspiration for his life’s work – “After 1911, he was hired by brothers Zhan Yuanguang and Zhan Yuanbin to paint antique porcelain in Beijing. This appointment in Beijing coincides with the year when He Xuren was established. He was able to enjoy the famous paintings and porcelains of the Forbidden City from the past dynasties, and visited the old Qing Dynasty before the capital to ask for advice and learn from each other, and his skills improved greatly.” (http://k.mengxiang.org/wiki/%E4%BD%95%E8%AE%B8%E4%BA%BA) (Link no longer works)!
Once you see real closeups of his works you can immediately tell why his work is so esteemed – no others following him could paint such lightness and detail with such a nuanced palette. Of course, he had many followers and students, and there have been many subsequent snow scene ‘revivals’ throughout the rest of the 20th and 21st centuries, some very mechanical, a few extremely innovative and evocative.
Porcelain plaque – portrait of He Xuren.
He Xuren was most productive in the 1930s, and this is when he did most of his snow scenes or landscapes. Below is a series of dated examples of his work from published books, museums and the top 2-3 auction houses:
Firstly from Simon Kwan’s book – Chinese Porcelain of the Republic Period:
Detail Seal Paste box, dated 1932 – ‘Lone Angler in winter’ – Xuren Chu Pin mark
Vase, 1930-1940 – ‘Traveller in Snow covered mountain’ – Xuren Chu Pin mark. Note that the shape of this vase is almost identical to the one from the National Palace Museum in Taipei, shown at the top of this report!
Brushpot with inscription, 1930-1940 – Xuren Chu Pin markDetail Plaque with inscription, dated 1930 – ‘Liberating a crane from Gushan’, seals of He Xuren
2. Secondly, from the book – The Complete Collection of Porcelain of Jiangxi Province
Plaque with inscription and seals of He Xuren, dated Xin Si 1941, in the collection of the Jingdezhen Ceramic Museum
A simple teapot with an overglaze blue Qianlong 4 character kaishu mark, also in the collection of the Jingdezhen Ceramic Museum. Signed in the inscription He Xuren.
3. And thirdly, from the book – Innovations and Creations, A Retrospect of 20th Century Porcelain from Jingdezhen:
Detail 3 elongate plaques – dated 1931, and with Xuren seal marks in a range of forms.
4. From the book – Porcelain from the Jingyitang Collection:
5. Christies have also auctioned some important He Xuren works over the years (I have left out a couple of unsold/dubious ones):
Sold in 2017, a rare landscape seal, including an early snow scene as well as normal landscapes, dated 1927. The inscription reveals that “they were specially commissioned for ‘Commander-in-Chief Yi Zhi’, with ‘compliments of Baosen’. Yi Zhi refers to Zhu Peide (1888-1937), a high-ranking general of the Kuomintang and comrade of Sun Yat-Sen, who was active in the Xinhuai Revolution and Constitutional Protection Movement.”
Sold in 2013, this vase by Xuren is dated Jia Xu for 1934. This vase was discussed in detail on Gotheborg before the auction – see text box below.https://www.gotheborg.com/cgi-bin/discus/board-auth.cgi?file=/154961/418598.htmlSold in 2013, this table screen shows a lakeside pavillion on one side and a snow scene on the other, signed in the inscription ‘Xuren’, no dating.Sold in 2013, this miniature vase is signed ‘Xuren Chu Pin’. The inscription indicates that the vase was commissioned – ‘presented as the winning souvenir to the second sports competition in the tenth Guomin school in Long Jin xiang’, and was part of the Kendall Collection of C20th Chinese Ceramics.This small vase was sold in 2010, ‘Jiangxi Ciye Gongsi’ (Jiangxi Porcelain Company) mark and signed Xuren in the inscription. Provenance – C.Y.Tse Collection. Hong Kong.This plaque was one of the top 10 pieces in the Chinese Artron competition “The new Fencai ware and Underglazed ware Republic period” from 2009. It is dated Bing Zi for 1936 in the inscription, and signed by He Xuren.
These porcelains above were made in the period 1927-1941, the latter being when He Xuren died, although some sources say 1940. He used a range of marks and seals to identify his works. A good biography in English is impossible to find online, so I will put one in an APPENDIX at the end of this report (google translated from a Chinese link which no longer works). He had an interesting life.
He Xuren had a porcelain shop in Jiujiang, to the northwest of Jingdezhen. Here he would have instructed apprentices and also painted many porcelains to order. He taught in several ceramics cchools in Jiangxi over the years and he was a mentor to several of the more well-known snow scene painters of the post war years: Yu Wenxiang (余文襄 1910-1993), Gongyao Ting (龚耀庭) and Deng Xiaoyu (邓肖禹) are often mentioned, but I can only find snow scene examples from the first two. It was in this way that the popularity of snow scene landscapes proliferated through the rest of the C20th and even more so into the C21st!
Other Republic Period Snow Scene artists – good provenance
Before we leave the 1930s there are a few more interesting snow scene porcelains, this first by Wang Dacang (1901-1953).
The plaque is dated 1936 and is one of the first examples to use strong sepia tones to counter the white of the snow (He Xuren also did this but not so powerfully).
Another example above, in the book – The Complete Collection of Porcelain of Jiangxi Province – is a vase dated to the early Republic but which could be after 1930 from the mark style. It is delicately painted, very much in the style of He Xuren, but with an overglaze blue kaishu Qianlong 4 character mark. The inscription gives no absolute dating, nor artist’s name.These three seal paste boxes are from the book – The Great Fortune (Weishaupt Collection) – the first two are dated C19th but the top one looks Republic period and the borders on the middle one are distinctly 1940s. The Hongxian marked one also looks 1930s/40s from its borders. However, the bottom two are great examples of early snow scene landscapes.This vase is purportedly by the younger brother of He Xuren, He Jinhai. The basemark reads “Long Dong (or Ming?) Shan Qiao”.
The Proliferation of Snow Scene Landscapes in the 1940s and beyond
As the snowy scenery of He Xuren’s porcelains became famous, so did those who wanted emulate his style. Yu Wenxiang (1910-1993) is his most well-known successor, but there were plenty more and snow scenes were depicted on many different porcelains in the mid C20th and even on some factory made wares. He Xuren’s works have been revered, copied (in an appreciative way) and have also been faked from quite early on for porcelains of this period.
In the C21st the painting of snow scenes on porcelain has expanded monumentally, with innovative and beautiful depictions made by named and signed porcelains artists. I will show these at the end of the report.
Mid-C20th snow scene landscapes – good provenance
Below I will show some dated or special pieces (from published sources and/or excellent provenance), followed by more prosaic examples:
This vase was sold by Bonhams in 2011. It is signed by Wang Yeting (1884-1942) and was purchased from KY Ng and Dries Blitz in 1992. This is probably a 1930s example and shows much more restraint than the He Xuren style.Part of the same Bonham’s sale above, this vase, dated c.1958 is signed by Yu Wenxiang. Provenanced from dealer/collector Peter Wain, this vase was bought privately in Jingdezhen in 2000. The basemark is an iron red seal ‘Zhongguo Jingdezhen zhi’.
This teapot, also by Yu Wenxiang, is dated 1959 in the inscription and is pictured in the book – The Complete Collection of Porcelain of Jiangxi Province. The very fine overglaze blue borders are immediately striking and different from the ethereal earlier examples, as are the figures, brightly coloured and out digging the snow – definitely of its time! The green basemark reads ‘Jingdezhen’.
This seal paste box was exhibited in 1993 in ‘Heavenly Pieces’, which dealer/collector Peter Wain organized to show porcelains of the early C20th. The basemark reads ‘Shi Yun Shan Feng’ – Stone cloud’s mountain retreat. It was considered that Shiyun was a student of He Xuren.
This vase was in the same exhibition, one of a pair, and now in the Victoria & Albert Museum collection. The artist was Wang Yunshan, as signed and dated ‘Wu Zi’ – 1948 in the inscription. The red seal basemark reads Wang Yunshan. Note the black and sepia filigree borders. *And be aware that many copies of this shape and pattern (plus other patterns) have been made in the last 10-20 years.
This plate is shown in the book – The Complete Collection of Porcelain of Jiangxi Province. Probably made in the 1940s, the base mark reads ‘Jiujiang Li Sheng Chu Pin’, and the inscription indicates that the painting was done by Yunxi Shanqiao. It is in the Jiangxi Provincial Museum Collection. Note the rare extra wide, extra detailed black key fret and filigree border.
This remarkable tea set was from the collection of Peter Wain, and is painted by Yu Wenxiang, but later in his life, c 1972-1974. Bloomsbury Auctions, London (now Dreweatts), 2009. This set was reputedly painted on blanks from the “Mao Service”.
Above you have seen the broad development and expansion of snow scene landscapes on porcelain up until the 1970s or so, at the high end. Below I will show more ordinary examples, dated ones first, but these are less well provenanced, some are even factory made.
Early PROC (People’s Republic of China) examples from database, considered authentic, DATED
As a generalization, after 1950 one will see more bright colour in these snow scenes; the increasing size of temples and pavilions are painted in shades or orange and red, and more recently blue; even the use of sepia tones becomes more dominant; and of course the incredible detail and nuance in early works disappears. Still, these examples are, by their simplicity and their marks, showing their more ‘daily use’ category, and part of the reason why they can be considered authentic/of their time. It is the pieces with all the ‘bells and whistles’, mainly with artists’ base marks, inscriptions etc which one must be much more careful in appraising.
Dated Ding Hai for 1947 in the inscription, this delicate saucer with a red geometric border shows a simple snow scene.This damaged teapot is also dated Ding Hai for 1947 in the inscription, with a delightful snow scene and black borders. The diamond outlined mark reads ‘Jiangxi Ling Mei Cai Chu Pin’.A mug from the same maker as above but dated Gui Si for 1953 in the inscription. Channelled base rim, black geometric border.Lidded mug, 1954 date, with a floral border typical of Nanchang or Jiujiang companies at the time.Dated 1955 by the auction house, but perhaps the translation may be wrong, and the bowl is later. Liling kiln.Dated 1959, standard circle mark for this period.Jingdezhen City Graduate Schools 1960. Made by GongYaoTing.Gong Yaoting, male, (1910-1975), from Nanchang, Jiangxi Province, was a Chinese ceramic art master and ceramic artist. Still a bit unsure about the authenticity of this one.Purchased at a ‘Friendship Store’ in Shanghai in 1967 (by a Gotheborg Forum member), from the mark probably dated to the early 1950s.Good provenance for this dated 1973 vase by Yu Wenxiang. These semi-circular dated red basemarks are very sought after so there have been many copies made since – most are recent and most of the recent copies of this mark are dated in the early 1960s.Dated from the factory mark to the latest 1970s/early 1980s this mug shows a very simple snow scene and borders consistent with the dating.
Early PROC (People’s Republic of China) examples from database, considered authentic, UNDATED (but 1950s-1980s)
After 1950 many simple and authentic snow scene landscapes are to be found on a range of porcelains. However, since about 2010, there have been many copies made of the most desirable of these. They are good copies, so good that in many cases I cannot tell except where the seller usually only offers fakes and copies. I imagine that this is so insidious that many other collectors, dealers and auction houses may feel the same. Or so it would seem from some of the dubious (but convincing) offerings seen in even the top auction houses recently. So, below, I will show only those early PROC (1950-1979) which are basic enough to be authentic (or recorded early enough before the proliferation of these nefarious copies) :
One of the easiest ways to have confidence in a piece is the mark – below you will see simple stamped reign marks or Qianlong and Guangxu, as well as standard factory stamped marks. Many newer pieces of course use ‘He Xuren’ marks or some other artist’s seal, or indeed the semi-circular base marks with date.
Profusion of recent snow scene pieces in the last 10 years or so, some just copies pretending to be from the 3rd quarter of the C20th, some by prominent skilled artist/craftspeople producing their own interpretation of this interesting subject
Having looked at the hundreds of images I have of these snow scene porcelains from the last half of the C20th and early C21st, I have to admit that I cannot reliably tell the new copies from the originals. This is a scary thing to realise, a first for me.
So, this emphasizes my wish to show only authenticated examples, as well those more basic examples which have no pretension to be works of art from the masters (as in the section immediately before this one).
Instead, I will show some known new C21st pieces in 2 sections:
Fairly new snow scene porcelains from emerging and recognized snow scene specialists (1), under their own name and showing new techniques and styles which are impressive. And Brand new snow scene porcelains being sold in the last couple of years direct from Jingdezhen, but trying to be early PROC either by the mark, the inscription with dating and artist – obvious copies (2).
Fairly new snow scene porcelains from emerging and recognized snow scene specialists, under their own name and showing new techniques and styles which are impressive.
Since the 1980s and into the 21st century there has been a resurgence of snow scene porcelain painters, some of whom have become quite famous, innovative, and collected by many. I shall just show a selection.
Arguably the most famous contemporary snow scene artist is Zhang Songmao (张松茂 1934-), born in Poyang, Jiangxi Province. Son of Liu Yucen (or an apprentice?) he learnt well. From the 1980s onwards he was making a name for his snow scenes, and in the early 2000s produced his most notorious works – the “Three Gus Thatched Cottage” series, one of which is shown below:
“Visit Xian in the Wind and Snow” one of a series, 2004Zhang Songmao, c.2002 plateZhang Songmao with one of his famous bowls.
He was still alive in 2020 (and could be still) and his family have continued the tradition of involvement in the porcelain arts to this day.
Another interesting snow scene porcelain artist is Ling Zongzheng (1929-). He studied with Yu Wenxiang, and came to snow scene landscapes later in his life, but probably would have been producing them since the 1960s.
One of his most notable pieces is a 43cmH vase, sold in 2017, but I haven’t been able to determine when it was made (possibly the 1980s or 1990s from the borders?):
Ling Zongzheng in his 80sLing Zongzheng – “Cold River waiting to cross”
Perhaps his most famous work is “Porcelain Rhyme 1004” made for 2008 Olympic Games in China.
The final contemporary snow scene porcelain artist I will show is Zou Dahuai (邹达怀 1970-). Also from a family of porcelain painters, his father’s uncle was Zou Wenhou, famous Republic porcelain artist.
His works show a refreshing new aspect of snow scenes as the examples below will show:
Zou Dahuai – Snow Bamboo Peacock Porcelain PlaqueZou Dahuai – Xueji Fengqing Porcelain Plaque, dated Ji Chou, 2009Zou Dahuai – Porcelain vase with peacocks and bamboo
2. Brand new snow scene porcelains being sold in the last couple of years direct from Jingdezhen, but trying to be early PROC either by the mark, the inscription with dating and artist – obvious copies.
There are so many examples of these, they come up on online auction sites all the time, all over the world. Some are competent, some less so. Many are quite expensive! I have been ‘storing’ images of Chinese C20th porcelain for some 25 years, but these ‘snow’ porcelains have only been around in ‘bulk’ for the last 5-10 years: 5 years ago the new pieces were very obviously so, and auctions started at 99c; today they are very hard to tell, and prices start in the hundreds, even thousands, even on ebay!
I will only show a few examples, but there are hundreds out there every week, caveat emptor:
Apochryphal He Xuren mark on a new vaseApochryphal He Xuren mark on a new vase‘Zhen Pin’mark on a new vase/jarThis seller almost always only sells new pieces; note the very dark red border, a feature of new pieces about 5 years ago. Many copies in all patterns of this unique mid-century shape. Authentic pieces can be seen in the top Chinese museums.This was shown on a Chinese porcelain forum a few years ago – most observers and all moderators considered it to be new.
I hope that the report gives you all some more information on the ‘snow scene’ pattern. Certainly, the original older pieces are sublime, as are the highest quality pieces from subsequent periods. It is such a pity that recent obvious (and not so obvious) copies have so muddied the waters, so to speak, with yellow snow!
Best wishes, Michaela
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Chinese Porcelain of the Republic Period 2008 ISBN 978-988-98818-9-4 Simon Kwan, Muwen Tang Fine Arts Publication Ltd
The Complete Collection of Porcelain of Jiangxi Province Morning Glory Publishers
Porcelain from the year 1912-1949 (I) 2008 ed. Tie Yuan (Company and Artist signed) ISBN 978-7-5054-1744-1
Innovations and Creations, A Retrospect of 20th Century Porcelain from Jingdezhen 2004 ISBN 962-7101-69-9 Jingdezhen Ceramic Museum and Art Museum & The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Porcelain from the Jingyitang Collection (JINGYITANG CANG CI). Nanchang, 2001 ISBN: 2 volumes (xi, 274; xiv, 344 pp). Editor: Hu Shangde
The Great Fortune, Chinese & Japanese Porcelain of the 19th and 20th centuries & their forerunners, from the Weishaupt Collection 2002
LINK no longer works so reproduced here – with google translate….
He Xuren (1882-1940), formerly known as Chu, styled Deda, nicknamed Huazi, was a native of Nanling County, Anhui Province. He came from a poor family and was employed as a teenager. At the age of 14, he and his fellow villagers went from Anhui to Jingdezhen to study in a porcelain factory. In the long-term art career, focus on learning traditional art. He started the pioneer of snow landscape painting on Jingdezhen porcelain. His snow landscape landscape techniques have been passed down to this day and developed into a porcelain painting system with Jingdezhen characteristics, which has influenced generations of famous porcelain painters.
He Xuren (1882-1940), formerly known as Chu, styled Deda, nicknamed Huazi, was a native of Nanling County, Anhui Province.
Character Family
How many people are from poor families, and young people are employed by others to make a living. After entering the Jingdezhen porcelain art world at the age of 17, Wang Qi changed the name of Huazi to Huazi according to the homophony, and changed his name to He Xuren after the sentence “Mr. When he was young, He Xuren took Dong’s Jinrong as his wife, and gave birth to two daughters, Cui’e and Yin’e.] On May 10, 1932, his only son He Daxing was born. In 1940, He Xuren died, his wife remarried, and his son was handed over to Qimen. , Jingdezhen Porcelain Company business presided over Kangda care. Kangda recognized him as a foster grandson, and brought him back to his hometown, Liwu Village, Qimen County.
Biography
He Xuren loved painting since childhood. At the age of 14, he and his friends from Anhui went to Jingdezhen to study art in a porcelain factory. Beginning to learn blue and white, and later to learn pastel, light purple color and green landscape. He is extremely intelligent, humble and eager to learn, and works hard. He often used the “Four Kings” in the early Qing Dynasty as a model, followed the norms of the ancients, copied the paintings of the predecessors, made friends and learned the art, and had a close relationship with the famous painters and porcelain masters in Jingdezhen. In order to broaden his horizons and seek to improve his painting skills, He Xuren has traveled many times while “learning from the ancients” and also “learning from the good fortune”.
Huangshan, Lushan and other famous mountains and rivers. After 1911, he was hired by brothers Zhan Yuanguang and Zhan Yuanbin to paint antique porcelain in Beijing. This appointment in Beijing coincides with the year when He Xuren was established. He was able to enjoy the famous paintings and porcelains of the Forbidden City from the past dynasties, and visited the old Qing Dynasty before the capital to ask for advice and learn from each other, and his skills improved greatly.
Around 1934, He Xuren traveled between Jingdezhen and Jiujiang in pursuit of better development. He Xuren’s handed down works often have the inscription “…Where did Xuren paint in the guest times in Tengpu”, “Tanpu” is the ancient name of Jiujiang, He Xuren is a middle-aged guest living in Jiujiang, diligent in creation, and has its own style. Later, due to a fire, his shop was destroyed. After that, he returned to Jingdezhen again, and commented on the painting theory with members of the “Eight Friends of Zhushan”, and cooperated to complete eight matching porcelain plate paintings. He Xuren learned to paint snow scenes with pastels, and gradually became familiar with the mystery, creating a precedent for pastel snow scenes in Jingdezhen.
He Xuren not only specialized in painting porcelain in his later years, but also preached carefully and cultivated many talents. Among them, the disciples Yu Wenxiang, Gong Yaoting and Deng Xiaoyu were famous porcelain painters after Jingdezhen. Especially Yu Wenxiang, following the mantle of Mr., specializing in the pastel snow scene, passing on his salary, and carrying it forward.
He Xuren has focused on learning traditional arts in his long-term artistic career. When I was young in Jingdezhen, I started with blue and white, specializing in the technical characteristics of blue and white in Ming and Qing Dynasties, practicing the basic skills of porcelain painting, and learning the light purple color that prevailed since the late Qing Dynasty. From Jin Pinqing, Cheng Men and other famous light crimson masters, he learned the unique style of the literati school of painting and porcelain. He Xuren practiced calligraphy diligently when he was young, starting with the “two kings” at first, and then learning Han Li, which laid the foundation for his future development.
After 1916, He Xuren’s porcelain paintings gradually focused on snow scenery and landscapes. The composition of the composition is far from the Song Dynasty’s artificial landscape technique, and the brush and ink are based on the “Four Kings” method, but the craftsmanship is innovated. moisturizing effect, but also has a vivid charm of painting. The color material of the picture is free of shades, the snow color is realistic, and the layers are moderate, and it is praised by the world for its nobleness, spaciousness, crystal clearness and profound artistic conception.
After middle age, He Xuren’s porcelain painting skills became more and more perfect, and he focused on the combination of painting theory and technique. In terms of art form, He Xuren’s snowy landscapes pay attention to the arrangement of rules and regulations, and pay attention to the three reconstructions of near, middle and far, with overlapping mountains, staggered slopes and banks, and orderly layers. In terms of brush and ink skills, the mountains are mainly drawn with ink colors, and the powder is applied and left white to express the color of snow. As for some details, He Xuren paints with delicate brushes, such as a donkey stepping on the snow, leaving a series of traces; buildings and terraces are always awakened by one or two warm colors. Whether his works are large-scale porcelain plate paintings or small-scale printing boxes, he is exquisitely crafted with fine brushes, and the workmanship is rigorous and the law is neat and tidy. His calligraphy is steady in strokes, with rounded turns, and obvious changes in setbacks. There are few consecutive strokes between characters, but there is a tendency to stretch straight down and complete in one go. How many people are good at micro-books, whether it is a single-line title or a long-form narrative, they are all arranged in a lawful and well-proportioned manner. How many people often use poems to describe the scene in the painting, the meaning outside the painting, and express their feelings, The verses in question have a fresh, bookish air. For example, the poem “Lonely Fishing in the Cold River” says: “Six out of the sky dance, the lonely boat leans on the rocky rock. I don’t realize it, and I forget to go fishing alone.” The snow waves opened, and I rode a donkey and stepped on a small bridge. The plum blossom ridge was full of fragrance, and it was folded to help the wine grains.” Cleansing the dust and vulgarity, the artistic conception is far-reaching, showing his profound literary accomplishment. He Xuren devoted himself to ceramic art, but had no choice but to die young. His works are rare, and some of them are scattered in the hands of domestic and foreign museums and some big collectors, which are very precious. Among them, “Imitation Yuanjiang Chenxiang Pavilion Landscape” pastel porcelain plate painting, “Wutian Maple Leaf” pastel bottle and other fine works are now in the Jingdezhen Ceramics Museum.
Character Influence
Among the famous porcelain painters in Jingdezhen in the late Qing Dynasty and the early Republic of China, He Xuren was the one with far-reaching influence. He worked hard and spent his whole life exploring the techniques of snow-covered landscapes on porcelain, which is unique. He’s disciples erected his statue and wrote a poem about his death: “Renwu came to the world and died in the year of Gengchen. He was fond of Danqing in his life, and Xuejing was passed down overseas. He didn’t come from a cold and bitter background, but he went to the poor and lowly. From Xun to Fuliang, a newcomer in the art world Skills are added. Zhushan has made eight friends and made friends all over the world. Mr. traveled around and became famous in the art garden.” He Xuren started the first snow scene landscape painting on Jingdezhen porcelain. It is a porcelain painting system that has influenced generations of famous porcelain painters. [1]
Characteristics of Ceramic Creation
Many of his landscape works and snow landscapes created on ceramics are mostly compact in structure, generous in composition and smooth in brushwork. However, He Xuren’s landscape paintings have the shadows of Dong Yuan and Juran, as well as the flow of Zhejiang style landscapes Wu Wei and Dai Jin; from He Xuren’s landscape works, it is not difficult to see that the painter pursues a plain, innocent and relaxed artistic realm . It’s a pity that when the sky does not leave the year, what kind of people will be difficult for everyone, but can only be a miscellaneous family who is tolerant of all rivers.
Art Style
The works are in Jingdezhen. With their extraordinary comprehension and solid line drawing skills, how many people use blue and white landscapes as their careers. The blue and white porcelain with low-level landscape landscapes that they imitated from official kilns of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, with fine painting skills and vivid style, almost imitating the real ones. Highly rated by owners and collectors. However, there are many people who are not satisfied. They work hard to study pastels, specialize in landscapes, their paintings, their colors, their poems, and their characters, and they never pretend to be others. They are quite individual and accomplished. Under the high reputation, at the invitation of the brothers Zhan Yuanguang and Zhan Yuanbin, the Beijing antique dealers, went to Kyoto to color antique porcelain, entered and left the Forbidden City, and saw the famous paintings and famous porcelains in the old collection, and had a profound impression. While copying, He Xuren speculates that snow scenery belongs to the category of landscape painting, but independent display lies not only in its profound artistic conception, distinct time and space, and visual display, but also in the artistic charm of finesse and vulgarity. [2]
He Xuren’s snow-scape landscape techniques have inherited from the Song Dynasty’s man-made landscapes, and have the style of Ming Dynasty’s court courtyard paintings; recently, they have been influenced by Wang Shigu’s landscapes in the early Qing Dynasty. The picturesque boundary paintings on the terraces, the techniques of pine needles and snow, and the staggered arrangement of overlapping hills and banks are all successful inheritance and development of traditional techniques. In some details, such as the series of hoof marks left on the road by the donkey stepping on the snow, as well as the difficult and unsteady posture of the donkey crossing the bridge in the snow, it all reflects his meticulous creative attitude.
He Xuren – Work Appreciation
The work “Snow Covers Liangyuan, Pastel Snow Scene Porcelain Panel Painting” depicts the snow fog in Liangyuan, one of the eight scenic spots in Bianjing in Song Dynasty. The picture is set using the boundary painting technique, and the composition is from a top view, which is rigorous, natural and imposing. The scenery is drawn with ink colors, the trees and bamboo are in the sky, and the branches are full; the beautiful stones are exquisitely carved and decorated with jade; the double eaves and the terraces are thick with snow, and the fences are slightly dyed blue, which makes the picture suddenly look cool and beautiful; drinking and enjoying the snow in the pavilion , the courtyard is decorated with vermilion figures, showing the ice and snow and folk joy; the distant mountains are like jade carvings, the brush and ink are delicate and upright, and the artistic conception is far-reaching. Tang Bohu’s poem is written on the painting: “The snow is full of Liangyuan and the black is sparse. Yuan-simmered citrus pomelo opens the door (closed firewood), the ground furnace is warm but (the pot is hot) Songhua wine, and it’s just Xitou (Ding) picking up crabs and returning.” The title is wonderful, the rhythm is leisurely, and the inscription is: “In the middle of the winter month in the year of Xinsi, where does Xu Ren paint.” This porcelain painting is in the Jingdezhen Ceramics Museum, and the inscription can correct his mistake in 1940.
In the 1940s Chiang Kai Shek and his wife Meiling Soong commissioned a series of porcelains for the Republic of China. These are nicknamed ‘Zhongzheng’ porcelains, and all have the same distinctive mark. They were made as gifts for dignitaries worldwide, and to celebrate particular events such as the end of WWII against the Japanese. In addition, a range of other porcelains were commissioned to celebrate special events, including a wedding gift dinner service on the marriage of Princess Elizabeth of the United Kingdom in 1947, and a series of millefleur porcelains used at State dinners and perhaps bearing the ‘Jiang’ mark on the front. Some may also have been for the personal use of the Chiang Kai-Sheks, in their many villas.
Surprisingly, a complete list of these commissioned porcelains, with detailed images, is difficult to find, despite many searches over the years. Partial attempts in many reports have been a good start, but I hope that this report will provide a more comprehensive overview. Although the lists are lacking in descriptive details, they give good information on the quantity made – these are rare items, numbered in the ‘hundreds’ all up, and most were given to high ranking officials around the world: with rare exceptions, these would all have good provenance and unlikely to be found in one’s local auction houses (although we know that this can happen!).
The porcelains are most definitely ‘of their time’. Most were probably made in Jingdezhen around 1946 -1949, some are well dated. Some were made before the war (WWII). Almost all are unique examples, few were made and those which still exist are held in museums and with the original recipients. Doubtless, copies have been made – some at or around the time of manufacture, some more recently unfortunately. The earlier copies usually have different marks, and in themselves give insight into their manufacture.
Porcelains made to commemorate
A series of important porcelains in the form of vases, bowls, dinner sets and teasets were commissioned by Chiang Kai Shek and his wife, Meiling. Most of this porcelain was designed and made after WWII, probably at Jingdezhen, and was to commemorate victory over the Japanese in WWII, and thence sent to US politicians and heads of state in the United States and Europe.
Information is sketchy but it would seem that a small group of porcelain artists was chosen to design much of it, including Peng Youxian (彭友贤 1906-1949), He Yunsheng, Wang Xikui, Zhang Zhitang, Pan Yongbing, and Zhao Jinsheng. All these painters were associated with Jiangxi Provincial Ceramics School, some say this was in Jingdezhen, some say in Lushan (The Chaing Kai Sheks spent quite a bit of time in Meiling’s villa on Lushan, a mountain retreat behind Jiujiang, the latter probably providing earlier porcelains commissioned by Madame Chiang Kai Shek). Around this time the ceramics schools did move location several times.
From the book ‘The Complete Collection of Porcelain of Jiangxi Province’ Morning Glory Publishers Porcelain from the year 1912-1949 (I) 2008 ed. Tie Yuan (Company and Artist signed) ISBN 978-7-5054-1744-1, the list of commemorative porcelains produced in 1947 is as follows:
Batch 1:
40 vases – (reportedly 30 black & gold, and 10 amphora shaped vases, see Appendix I) – authentic ones have the ‘zhongzheng’ mark, but contemporary authentic examples with the Ceramics School mark exist as well (see 1.1.1 and 1.1.2)
60 hanging plates – (so far only one shard with mark to show, and no further information on the pattern or patterns thereon) – ‘zhongzheng’ mark (see 1.1.3)
2 sets of Victory tableware (140pcs) – (not clear if this is the modern serving pot designed by Peng Youxian) – nor is it clear which basemark was used
Peach bowls 400pcs (so far only one example to show, assume all were the same?) – ‘zhongzheng’ mark (see 1.1.4)
4 sets of Wanhua (gold ground millefleur) tableware (140 pieces each) – there appear to be several distinct types of these millefleur sets – a range of these will be shown, a range of basemarks, none have the ‘zhongzheng’ mark (see 1.2). Still a bit of a mystery.
Batch 2:
New Western tableware (yangcai?) – US General Marshall’s set was in this batch
Wedding gift porcelain for Princess Elizabeth (set of 175 pieces) – still held in the Royal Collection in Windsor Castle (see 3.1)
In addition to these listed porcelains, many dinner sets of bowls and dishes with a yellow ground have surfaced recently, all with the ‘zhongzheng’ mark. I will show these but am not sure of their history or authenticity.
Further, some ‘Chiang family dinnerware’, also with yellow ground, and more examples of millefleur porcelains from the Hua Chang company in Jiujiang and bearing a ‘Jiang’ mark will be shown.
I have also written a report on the personal and gifted porcelain of the 3 Soong sisters – the youngest, Meiling, married Chiang Kai Shek, and additional interesting porcelains of the era are shown there.
1 ‘Zhongzheng’ porcelains
All of the following examples have a very distinctive basemark – porcelains with this base mark form the main part of the 1947 commissioned wares ordered by Chiang Kai-Shek.
‘ 中華民國三十六年’ or ‘Zhōnghuá mínguó sānshíliù nián’ or ‘Zhong Hua Minguo San Shi Liu Nian Zhong Zheng 中正’ – ‘Thirty-six years of the Republic of China’ – meaning 1947.The final ‘character’ or device in the bottom left corner is ‘Zhong Zheng’, apparently a personal name/seal of Chiang Kai Shek, when he became close to Sun Yat-Sen in 1917. All these porcelains are therefore referred to as ‘Zhongzheng’ porcelains – 蔣中正 = Jiang Zhongzheng.
Because the ‘official’ lists which I have found for these porcelains don’t have many images, it is extremely difficult to match actual pieces and patterns with the list, and I apologise if I have mismatched some of these. In addition, each ‘list’ seems to have different information, often conflicting.
Nonetheless, here goes:
1. 1
Double eared ‘shield’ vases in black and gold with cartouche displaying landscape scenes.
I have found many versions of this vase: some in published books, some in top auction houses and a few online. I believe they are authentic unless noted otherwise. They are shown in no particular order.
These vases were made to celebrate the victory over the Japanese in WWII. Designed and produced at the 江西省立陶业学校 (Jiāngxī shěng lì táo yè xuéxiào) or Jiangxi Provincial Ceramics School in 1946/47 (See Appendix I for more information).
This vase is shown on page 21 in the book – The Complete Collection of Porcelain of Jiangxi Province Morning Glory Publishers Vol 3 Porcelain from the year 1912-1949 (I) 2008 ed. Tie Yuan (Company and Artist signed) and the photos above it are more detailed, and from http://www.bjartmuseum.com/read/1421.htm
It is from the book that much of the information on production numbers etc originally comes from. It is unclear whether this vase is now held in the Jiangxi Provincial Museum or the Jingdezhen Ceramics Museum.
This next vase was sold by Bonhams in San Francisco in 2014
Auction Description: “Property from the Collection of General Yu Jishi, by descent A BLACK AND GILT ENAMELED VASE WITH POLYCHROME ENAMELED LANDSCAPE ROUNDELS Republic period, dated by inscription to 1947….. Footnotes The seal Zhongzheng in the inscription, was a sobriquet used by President Chang Kai-shek. This vase is one of a number extant examples that he commissioned in 1947 at a new Ceramics College (Taoci Zhuanke Xuexiao – actually Jiāngxī shěng lì táo yè xuéxiào) which he opened at Jingdezhen which remained open for only one year due to China’s civil war. A pair of vases of a different form but with an identical mark and of the same period were sold in Christie’s, New York, sale 2427, 25 March 2011, lot 1829.”
The Christies vase mentioned above will be shown in the next section; it is a pair of Amphora shaped vases.
Lieutenant General Yu Jishi (1902-1990) met Chiang Kai Shek at the Whampoa Military Academy and on graduation, became a guard for him, then commanded Nationalist armies throughout the 1930s-1940s. He eventually became the head of the military affairs department of the Nationalist Government, and following Chiang Kai Shek to Taiwan in 1949 “served as the director of the third bureau of the “Presidential Palace.” He was one of the few confidantes of Chiang kai Shek, and this and his wartime service is no doubt the reason for his being a recipient of one of these vases.
The next vase was sold by iGavel Auctions in New York in 2019.
Auction Description: “Zhong Zheng Shi Mark for Chiang Kai-shek, only 40 of these vases were made for Chiang Kai-shek’s 60th birthday……. Made to honor Chiang Kai-shek’s 60th Birthday, originally a gift to Senator D. Worth Clark of Idaho, thence by descent to current owner” – These were probably not made for Chiang Kai Shek’s birthday (more on that later) but were made to celebrate the victory over Japan in WWII, according to the records.
The following quote gives a good idea why Senator Clark (1902-1955) was gifted one of these precious vases – “Former Senator D. Worth Clark had gone to China as investigator for the Senate Appropriations Committee. After a hardworking month of travel and talk with Chinese on all levels, he came back with a program based on these points: “Immediate and extensive” direct military aid, combat advisory aid, financial aid for military operations, financial aid to stabilize the currency, and strict U.S. supervision of the distribution of U.S. money and supplies. Clark’s conclusions: “Piecemeal aid will no longer save failing China from Communism. It is now an all-out program or none; a fish-or-cut-bait proposition.”” Senator Clark’s visit to China was in 1948.
This next vase was auctioned by Skinner Inc in Boston in 2009.
Auction Description : “Porcelain Vase, China, dated the 35th year of the republic of China (1946)……Provenance: Chiang Kai-Shek to Admiral M. Pride in 1955. Accompanying note reads: This vase was presented to us by Madame Chiang Kai Shek on December 14th, 1955, the day before we left Taipei to come back to the United States after Mels’ duty as Commander Seventh Fleet (December 1, 1953, to December 20, 1955). It was made in the Kiang Shi porcelain works in China to commemorate Chiang Kai Shek’s 60th birthday in 1946, just before they had to leave China for Taiwan. There is not another like it.”
Again, we know that this vase was probably made to celebrate the victory over Japan in WWII, not Chiang Kai Shek’s 60th birthday. We also know that there were several just like it! In addition it is the 36th year or 1947, not 1946. Admiral M. Pride (1897-1988) visited Taiwan in 1955, met with Chiang Kai Shek, and was instrumental in deciding whether to act on contingent operational plans to defend Taiwan from Communist military buildup across the ‘Straits’ (i.e.mainland China) – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=py1hlYYk4DU. It is likely that this vase was gifted on this visit.
The next three vases were all produced around the same time (1947-1955) and are quite similar, but none have the ‘Zhongzheng’ mark, so were not part of the commissioned series by Chiang Kai Shek. They are included because they shed some light on the history of these remarkable porcelains.
Although this vase above looks similar to the three above, it has very different landscapes in the cartouche, and of course, has a different mark. This vase is held in the Beijing Art Museum – http://www.bjartmuseum.com/read/1421.htm . The mark reads 江西省立陶业学校设 (Jiangxi sheng lì táo yè xuéxiào shè) Jiangxi Provincial Ceramics School, the same producer of the ‘Zhongzheng’ examples. “It not only represented the highest level of porcelain firing at that time, but also had important historical and cultural value because of its close relationship with “National Ceremony Porcelain”.”
This vase above has yet another kind of landscape within the cartouche, and yet another mark – 江西陶校精制 (Jiangxi táo xiào jingzhì) – Jiangxi pottery school refined. It was painted by Pan Yongbing, a teacher of Jiangxi Pottery School. This example comes from the collection of the Jiangxi Provincial Museum – http://www.ctaoci.com/html/2011-08-27/91715.html
This vase is from the Lushan City Museum collection and is shown in the book – The Complete Collection of Porcelain of Jiangxi Province Morning Glory Publishers Vol 3 Porcelain from the year 1912-1949 (I) 2008 ed. Tie Yuan (Company and Artist signed). Lushan is the mountain top retreat above Jiujiang in Jiangxi, and is where Madame Chiang Kai Shek had a villa: this vase came from the Meilu Villa. The vase is a different shape, but the similarities are still obvious. The mark reads 江西陶校 (Jiangxi táo xiào ) or Jiangxi Pottery School, probably the same producer of the other vases. It was made in 1947.
I have one more pair of vases below. However, I am not sure of their authenticity, as you will see. They were auctioned in Hong Kong in 2019.
Auction Description: A PAIR OF CHINESE CERAMIC VASES AS A DIPLOMATIC GIFT REPUBLIC PERIOD, DATED TO THE THIRTY SIXTH YEAR (CORRESPONDING TO 1947)…. 1) with original Japanese wooden box 2) with a letter of Zheng Yanfen, Secretary-General to the President The Largest: H 35.3 cm (13 7/8 in). Provenance: 1. Commissioned by Chiang Kaishek, the first President of the Republic of China 2. Gifted to Fujita Masahito by Soong Meiling, wife of the first President of the Republic of China 3. A collection of Fujita Family, Japan
I have searched for the original recipient, Fujita Masahito, to absolutely no avail. I realise that Japanese records can be difficult to access without detailed knowledge of the language, but my search has been otherwise exhaustive. Zheng Yanfen (1902-1990) was, amongst many other high ranking posts, Secretary General to Chiang Kai Shek’s government in Taiwan. The ‘Zhongzheng’ marks above are very hesitant and the character form is different from the originals. And quite obviously, the landscapes have a very different character and colouring from the others above.
1. 2
I have labelled these as ‘Amphora’ vases, amongst all the different translations from the Chinese, as this best describes their shape. I am assuming that these vases with the ‘Zhongzheng’ marks form part of the original production list of 40 vases. Japanese sources indicate that only 3 pairs of these vases were ever made, in 1947. Other sources say 10 were made. More on that below.
I have a bit of a dilemma in that only 3 pairs of these vases were ostensibly made, although one other report mentions 10 (5 pairs), see Appendix I. One pair surfaced at Christies in 2011, provenanced from the Kung family (perhaps given to the children of H.H. Kung and wife Ailing Soong, by Madame Chiang Kai Shek). One pair was apparently given to the Japanese Royal family and held in the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, but I have not been able to unearth any further information on this pair. And one pair was kept by Chiang Kai Shek himself, with one of this pair given to Japanese General Hiroshi Nemoto in 1952, only to be returned with ceremony in 2011, and now kept in the Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall in Taiwan (no images of these in their place). However, I also have a record of a pair of vases – see the fourth set of vases below – which were ostensibly given to a Chinese General Yu Jishi, and sold in 2014. There are many photos below of this ‘other’ pair, including the mark – I will leave it to others to determine their authenticity. In addition it has been reported that a pair of these vases was gifted to Princess Elizabeth on the occasion of her wedding in 1947, but I have searched the very comprehensive online Royal Collection and can only find the dinner service which appears later in this report.
This pair of vases was sold by Christies in New York in March, 2011.
Auction Description: “AN UNUSUAL PAIR OF FAMILLE ROSE VASES ZHONGHUA MINGUO SANSHILIU NIAN, ZHONGZHENG MARK IN IRON RED, CORRESPONDING TO 1947 AND OF THE PERIOD PROPERTY FROM THE FAMILY OF H.H. K’UNG….. In 1947 Chiang established the Taoci Zhuanke Xuexiao (sic), Ceramics College, in Jingdezhen to create ceramics, some of which bear the mark seen on the present vase. These ceramics were of high quality and intended as gifts to China’s Second World War allies and other foreign dignitaries. Production ceased after one year due to the outbreak of China’s civil war.“
The H.H. Kung family includes H.H. Kung (1887-1967) himself, descendant of Confucius, Premier of the Republic of China in the late 1930s, and remaining instrumental in the government until 1949 when he moved to Taiwan, and then the United States. His wife was Ai-ling Soong, sister to Madame Chiang Kai Shek. The Kung’s children owned the property on Long Island NY where Madame Chiang Kai Shek spent many of her last years.
This next vase pair appears to be the same as above, resold later in the 2011 year by Beijing Poly International Auction Company.
Auction Description: the description is extremely long – it gives a detailed history of all of these ‘Zhongzheng’ porcelains and is added as Appendix I at the end of this report, as the original link to the auction no longer works. However, same provenance, just a much higher final price!
This vase below was given to General Hiroshi Nemoto (1891 –1966) in 1952 by Chiang Kai Shek in person. It was one of a pair which Chiang Kai Shek had kept for himself. It was given back to Taiwan in 2011 by the daughter of the Japanese General, to reunite it with its other ‘half’ – now held in The Chaing Kai Shek Memorial Hall in Taiwan.
This vase pair below was sold by Bonhams in San Francisco in 2014.
Auction Description: Property from the Collection of General Yu Jishi, by descent AN UNUSUAL FAMILLE ROSE ENAMELED PRESENTATION VASE Republic period, dated by inscription to 1947 Of urn form flanked by dramatically high strap handles, intricately painted in gilt and polychrome enamels throughout, the body displaying four oval reserves including a fisherman on his boat, a crane and pine tree, a recluse seated in a landscape and two birds perched amid willow and flowering branches, the recessed base inscribed in iron red seal script Zhonghua minguo sanshiliu nian (Republic of China, 36th year) followed by the seal Zhongzheng. 15in (38cm) high Footnotes The seal Zhongzheng in the inscription, was a sobriquet used by President Chang Kai-shek. This vase is one of a number extant examples that he commissioned in 1947 at a new Ceramics College (Taoci Zhuanke Xuexiao[sic]) which he opened at Jingdezhen. It operated for only one year due to the outbreak of war. A pair of these vases was sold in Christie’s, New York, sale 2427, 25 March 2011, lot 1829.
Further investigations are needed to determine and account for the 3 or 5 pairs of these vases.
1. 3
‘Round hanging plate’ – I have identified only one possible candidate for these (Zhongzheng marks) of the 60 made. Hopefully further examples will come to light.
https://www.jianshu.com/p/f264013765cd In 2003, these ‘golden land ten thousand flower’ tableware fragments above were unearthed in Jingdezhen, with ‘Zhongzheng’ marks: ‘Jindi’ or ‘golden land’ famille rose four seasons finely painted flowers, painted peonies, chrysanthemums, lotus leaves in pastels, all on a rich gold ground, buried for more than 50 years, and still in remarkable condition. These plates or dishes could be the hanging plates but they have neither hanging holes, as could be expected, nor a channelled rim . So far, it remains a bit of a mystery.
The decoration on this plate appears to be scattered pink flowers and scrolls on a gold ground, with a ‘Zhongzheng’ mark. The decoration is described in the link as “金地万花餐具残片 Jīndì wàn huā (gold ground millefleur) cānjù cánpiàn = gold ground millefleur tableware fragments. There is also a chance that this pattern and porcelain should in fact belong to the section 2.1 below!
1. 4
‘Longevity peach bowl’ – one example only so far (Zhongzheng marks). 400 of these bowls were made, according to the documents. It is surprising that this is the only example I have been able to find. Perhaps it is harder for owners and their descendants to appreciate these more prosaic shapes and their significance of the mark if there is no accompanying documentation.
1.1. 5
There is one other style/pattern which does not seem to be mentioned in the records as such, but which is displayed in the Memorial Hall to Chiang Kai-Shek in Taipei. So, this particular pattern is probably part of the original 40 pairs of vases. However, we do know it is a recognized pattern by the Taiwanese government.
Here are the vases in the Taipei Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall:
The vases have a similar shape to the black and gold ones above, but the main ground enamel is blue, with a series of borders up to the upper rim in carmine and yellow. I can find no other detailed information on these actual vases, but have found two separate single vases in auctions in 2010 and ‘unknown date’. Both have good provenance. A similar vase pair, but with a Qianlong mark is also shown, no provenance.
The vase below looks very similar to the one above in the Taipei Memorial Hall:
This vase was auctioned in 2010 by Beijing Poly International Auction Co., Ltd, and was considered part of the 1947 commissioned wares by Chiang Kai-Shek – https://auction.artron.net/paimai-art65174313/ . The provenance states that this is from an ‘old Japanese collection’ and was gift to Ambassador Yoshizawa of Japan, given by Chiang Kai-Shek himself. Ambassador Yoshizawa was Japanese ambassador to the Republic of China on Taiwan in 1952.
This vase below was auctioned in the USA, but I can’t find a date:
The description of the vase above – https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/famille-rose-vase-zhong-zheng-mark-1920363182, gives the provenance “From the estate of a Silver Spring, Maryland woman whose father was Yu Jishi, a top Nationalist general and a close confidant of Chiang Kai-shek. Her father in law was Xiao Xingru, also a Nationalist general”. Camera and monitor issues aside may or may not be the cause of the marked colour differences.
Finally, this vase was auctioned by Bonhams in 2016 in San Francisco:
The vase above is different in form, size, colour and pattern to those with the ‘Zhongzheng’ marks above, but was certainly styled on those vases. There was no provenance given. Obviously the mark is different, a 6 character Qianlong red seal mark on a turquoise ground base. No dating except ‘Republic Period’ was given but it was likened to one of the black & gold ‘zhongzheng’ vases sold in 2014 in the same auction rooms. This vase could also have been made later than Republic Period; it has been noted (in a link which now has a virus!) that after the original vases were made for Chiang Kai-Shek “Immediately afterwards, some senior officials from Nanjing also called for orders. The school scaled down the original drawings, but the models and pictures were unchanged, and the prices were much cheaper…. These pieces of porcelain, as stated in the message, have the style of imitation Qianlong era, and one of the pieces on the bottom of the book is directly on the book “Qianlong Year System” (i.e. has a Qianlong mark). ‘The School’ refers to the Jiujiang Ceramics School where the porcelains were first designed.
1.1.6. This is the last lot of ‘Zhongzheng’ marked porcelains which I have found. At this stage I am not sure where they fit. All have surfaced in the last few years in North American auctions and with no provenance given. Are they an artifice? Or have they been detached from their interesting history because they are simple items of tableware. I have never seen these on Chinese websites, nor in any online museum, but they could be there?
A comparison of the ‘Zhongzheng’ marks on all the examples above show some interesting differences:
spacing of the ‘san’ character in the centre, where some have the horizontal strokes unevenly spaced as is the convention, some are equidistant.
The outline shape of the ‘guo’ character (middle top) does vary. The completely authenticated examples show that the shape is slightly wider at the top than the bottom.
The lower ‘hook’ on the ‘shi’ character (middle bottom) is much extended on the yellow ground dinnerwares.
There are several other more subtle differences including thickness of the brushlines, enamel colour, other character quirks etc, but my initial conclusion is that the marks on yellow ground dinnerwares shown above were done by a different hand to those on the vases, or at least at a different time.
2.1
4 sets of Wanhua (gold ground millefleur) tableware (140 pieces each) – there appear to be several distinct types of these millefleur sets. We are not sure who was gifted these, but at least one set was kept for State occasions. Apparently these were left in one of Chiang Kai Shek’s villas or the Presidential Palace in Nanjing after 1949, and are now held in the Nanjing Museum. However, from a range of mainly Chinese websites, and all purportedly with images taken at the Nanjing Museum, there appear to be at least 2 versions of these millefleur wares, perhaps more. Which is the best contender for the ‘real’ commissioned tablewares?
The type and quality of millefleur varies, as do the marks.
2.1.1 The examples below were exhibited in the Nanjing Museum, but no dates or detailed information are given in the articles. All agree that they were made in Jingdezhen. One article indicates that several theories exist as to the origin of the porcelains, one of them being that they were made for Chiang Kai Shek in 1947 as part of the commissioned wares. Another theory is they were made prior to 1939, disappeared after the fall of Nanjing in 1939 during the Japanese Occupation, and were subsequently discovered in the Nanjing Presidential Palace after 1949. We know that the porcelains pictured have the mark “国民政府” Guómíng zhèngfǔ = Nationalist Government. So they were certainly used for State banquets and the like. But are they 1930 wares or late 1940s wares?
http://www.yidianzixun.com/article/0Q0krbeKhttp://njsbwgzg.com/en/Antique/antishow/id/125 Description in link (google translated): “This set of Jindi pastel Wanhua porcelain tableware in the collection of the Nanjing Municipal Museum is imitated according to the Wanhua decorative theme of the Qianlong period, but it has strong characteristics of the times.” Further description is quite long and is reproduced in Appendix II.
The two reports above and their images show millefleur on gold ground dinnerwares, both from the Nanjing Museum. I have also found an example from a Chinese forum, which shows the mark on these examples quite well:
Mark reads 国民政府 ‘Guo Ming Zheng Fu’, meaning Nationalist Government.
It would be convenient to place these millefleur examples above into c. 1947 to fit the theory that they were the commissioned wares of that time. But I do believe at this stage that they are earlier, 1930s at the latest. This is based on the nature of the flowers, especially the central pink peony, but all the flowers look much more like Guangxu and early C20th examples (or perhaps they found a porcelain artist capable of reproducing these older decorations?).
2.2.2 These porcelains below come from various sources but the first ones are from the
‘The Complete Collection of Jiangxi Province’ book (see Bibliography), and are from the Lushan City Museum collection. Remember that Lushan is the mountain retreat where Madame Chiang Kai-Shek had a villa, and spent much time there, especially during the 1930s. The caption indicates that these porcelains were found in Madame Chiang Kai Shek’s Lushan villa, called Meilu. They show the central medallion with the character ‘Jiang’, a direct reference to Chiang Kai Shek. This character is also found on the lids of the teabowls gifted by Madame Chiang Kai-Shek to her old school friends and dignitaries in 1938.
This particular set is basemarked with ‘A’ and a number, and then ‘Hua Chang Gongsi Chu Pin’, this latter the name of a porcelain company in the nearby city (to Lushan) and ancient treaty port of Jiujiang, on the Yangtze River. The information given in the book caption mentions Chiang Kai Shek’s birthday porcelain being made in or around 1946, but says that there is no evidence that this set was made for this occasion nor at that particular time. The fact that the ‘Jiang’ central character was also used on 1938 dated porcelains means that they could also have been made then. At this stage I am inclined to believe that the ‘Hua Chang’ porcelains above were made in the 1930s, blanks from Jingdezhen, but may have been decorated in the Hua Chang studio in Jiujiang.
Below is an image of the Chiang Kai-Sheks actually using these or similar porcelains at what looks to be a formal dinner (you can see the ‘Jiang’ character on the millefleur plate). The picture looks to have been taken in the 1940s:
Several other examples of ‘Jiang’ marked millefleur porcelains exist:
This example below, from an online auction out of the USA, does not have a Hua Chang basemark and the millefleur decoration looks later than the 1930s; the inscription on the back indicates it was made in or around 1947:
This plate above shows the ‘Jiang’ character centre medallion on gold ground millefleur, with an inscription on the back which reads 介公校長六秩壽慶 中央幹部学校全體師生敬献 – Jiè gōng xiàozhǎng Liù zhì shòu qìng Zhōngyāng gànbù xuéxiào quántǐ shī shēng jìngxiàn = In celebration of the 60th birthday of President Sir Jie. Respectfully presented by teachers and students of the Central Cadre Academy.
President Jie Gong refers to Chiang Kai Shek, whose 60th birthday was in 1947. So, this was not commissioned BY the Chiang Kai Sheks but FOR them. This would explain the slight differences in decoration and the probable difference in time of manufacture – i.e. 1940s rather than the Jiujiang ‘Hua Cha’ ones of the 1930s. Additionally, this may have happened on several occasions, which is perhaps why we see so many versions?
I believe that the nature of this millefleur above from 1947 is different, and later, than the porcelains from the Nanjing Museum shown in 1.2.1 above (still very good quality and dense flower spacing, but the main central pink peony and other flowers are quite different).
2.2.3 The next set of millefleur porcelains, apparently also found in Madame Chiang Kai-Shek’s villa in Lushan (near Juijiang in Jiangxi Province) shows a more recent version of ‘Jiang’ porcelain, as the millefleur gold ground and flowers look more late 1940s in dating (from the nature of the gold ground, the spacing and type of flowers).
https://kknews.cc/history/m34va22.html The label reads 这是景德镇为蒋介石特制的堆花彩绘餐具，每件都有“蔣”字 – Zhè shì jǐngdézhèn wèi jiǎngjièshí tèzhì de duī huā cǎihuì cānjù, měi jiàn dōu yǒu “jiǎng” zì = This is Jingdezhen’s specially made tableware for Chiang Kai-shek. Each piece has the word “Jiang” in it.
Below is a closer view, although the colours seem to be significantly enhanced in the original photo. Compare the nature of this millefleur to the much finer renderings in section 1.2.1.
So, which millefleur (wan hua) pieces belong to the stated commissioned wares of Chiang Kai-Shek in 1947? I must admit that only a trip to the Nanjing Museum will truly determine this.
In the meantime, at least 3 different millefleur sets are associated with the Nationalist government or personally to Chiang Kai-Shek. The examples with a central red ‘Jiang’ character would appear to be personal wares, but they may also have been used for formal occasions as well.
A final possibility is that the gold ground, pink flowered and scrolled shard shown in section 1.1.3 (‘Round Hanging Plates’) could in fact represent these elusive ‘wanhua jindi’ (millefleur gold ground) porcelains, with a ‘Zhongzheng’ mark! Let’s hope we can eventually discover the true contender.
From the original list of commissioned wares at the very top of this report, all but three types have been looked at in this report. Remaining are:
Victory tableware (140pcs each) – (not clear if this is the modern serving pot designed by Peng Youxian) – it is not clear which basemark was used
Western tableware (yangcai?) – General Marshall’s set was in this batch
Wedding gift porcelain for Princess Elizabeth (set of 175 pieces)
3.1 Wedding gift porcelain for Princess Elizabethof the United Kingdom
(set of 175 pieces) – still held in the Royal Collection in Windsor Castle
Another commemorative gift, a complete dinner set, was made for the wedding of Princess Elizabeth to Prince Philip of the United Kingdom in 1947. According to ‘The complete Collection of Jiangxi Province’ book, this set was made around the same time as the vases, and from the same workshop/ceramics school. The porcelains are held in the Royal Collection Trust http://www.jdzfcc.com/news_view.php?id=4229 :
The pattern shows two facing iron red dragons chasing a pearl, stylised clouds in red and blue, and flames, all on a pale turquoise ground. In the centre five bats surround a double red ‘xi’ symbol, signifying joy and happiness. A band of ruyi on yellow ground separates the two patterns. A red keyfret on pink ground forms the outer/upper border, with a gilt edge.
Originally a complete set of 174 pieces, “each of which had the words “Princess Elizabeth’s Wedding Commemoration” written on the bottom.
Basemark reads (left to right below): ‘英皇储伊丽莎白公主 大婚纪念 蒋中正 蒋宋美龄 敬赠’ ‘Yīnghuáng chǔ yīlìshābái gōngzhǔ dà hūn jìniàn jiǎng zhōngzhèng jiǎng sòngměilíng jìng zèng – ‘Commemorating the wedding of Princess Elizabeth of the British Crown Prince Jiang Zhongzheng and Jiang Song Meiling’ https://www.jianshu.com/p/f264013765cd
In many articles from Chinese and other websites, the names of many officials and designers involved in the production of these commissioned wares in general are mentioned. There is little concrete information in many of the reports about who did what and when. However, it is certain that the production of this wedding gift set was organised by Wang Fan, principal of Jiangxi Provincial Ceramics Vocational School, and was designed by porcelain artist Peng Youxian. There is even an image of Peng Youxian at his desk with designs of the set:
“A ‘test’ set of this pattern was made, and Chiang Kai-Shek and Meiling Soong (Madame Chiang Kai-Shek) made some modifications to the pattern. There is some evidence that the test set was sent to President Truman, and is now held in the Truman Library (though I can’t find it on their website yet) – The daughter of Peng Youxian found a letter in her father’s belongings from the Truman Book Museum in the United States, as well as a color copy of the porcelain. She was surprised to find that a set of tea set gift porcelain in the Truman Museum of Books had the same pattern as the dragon and phoenix that her father designed for the then Princess Elizabeth in 1947. This earlier draft design was rejected, and later it was changed to the picture of two dragons chasing a pearl. When this sketch of the dragon and phoenix was sent to the Nanjing government for review, a small amount of physical objects were already made, and some of them were sent to the then US President Truman.” http://www.zhongguociwang.com/show.aspx?id=11540&cid=118
“These gift porcelain tablewares, including teapots, tea cups, soup plates, food plates and dessert plates, have absorbed the excellent shapes of famous Chinese porcelains from past dynasties and incorporated modern styles. The porcelain is excellent in quality, well-made, and exquisitely painted.”
Below is a milk jug with similar decoration as the wedding porcelains for Princess Elizabeth, but with a different mark, ‘Jiangxi Provincial Ceramic Industry School’ (the same mark as found on the black & gold vase above, from the Beijing Art Museum).
This milk jug above is now in the Jingdezhen Ceramics Museum collection. It was made in 1947, by the Jiangxi Porcelain School, originally the school of the renowned Jiangxi Ciye Gongsi (Jiangxi Porcelain Company) and is reproduced in ‘The Complete Collection of Jiangxi Province’ book. The base mark reads ‘Jiangxi Porcelain School refined’ instead of the wedding commemoration on the wares given to Princess Elizabeth!
Again, from the original list at the beginning of this report, there are now just 2 types of commissioned wares yet to investigate:
Victory tableware (140pcs) – (not clear if this is the modern serving pot designed by Peng Youxian) – it is not clear which basemark was used
New Western tableware (yangcai?) – General Marshall’s set was in this batch
4.1 Victory Tableware (only 2 sets made, according to ‘The Complete Collection of Jiangxi Porcelain’ book)
The most likely contender for this tableware is a lidded serving dish, designed by Peng Youxian:
The caption to the left above reads “ A bowl of the table set made by Mr Peng Youxian in 1946 for celebrating the victory of Anti-Japanese War. ‘Celebrating Victory’ in Chinese was made (inscribed) on the two side of the bowl which was a gift to President Truman of the US”.https://new.qq.com/omn/20210528/20210528A0A3QV00.html
“In 1946, to celebrate the victory of the War of Resistance against Japan, he designed and produced a complete set of “Victory” tableware and his brother Peng Youshan’s Chinese painting “The National Celebration of Peace”, which were presented by the government as a national gift to President Truman and Special Envoy Marshall.”
This lidded serving pot is shown in the book · The Complete Collection of Porcelain of Jiangxi Province Morning Glory Publishers Porcelain from the year 1912-1949 (I) 2008 ed. Tie Yuan (Company and Artist signed) ISBN 978-7-5054-1744-1 – the caption reads “Truman Victory Memorial Porcelain Set“ … and “In 1947, the Tao School undertook the task of producing the second batch of national ceremony porcelain, including the gift of Marshall’s western tableware, which was the former US special envoy to China and then US Secretary of State. “
These vessels above, in two apparent colourways with blue, plus gold calligraphy, clearly demonstrate an influence from European mid-century studio pottery. These very un-Chinese textures and colours would have been seen as very ‘western’ and made to appeal to the perceived aesthetics (and intended recipients of the time). There is no image of a base or mark unfortunately.
So, the question remains, what then constitutes the last of these commissioned wares:
“A batch of 378 sets of “Commemorative Porcelain for the Victory of the War of Resistance Against Japan” designed and produced by Peng Youxian and others. This batch of porcelain was marked as “Jingdezhen Imperial Kiln” 景德镇御窑 and was presented to the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Soviet Union in the name of the Republic of China government, the head of state of France.”
The article above was generally referring to the millefleur porcelains found in the Presidential Palace in Nanjing after Chiang Kai-Shek went to Taiwan in 1949. However, I have not found any millefleur porcelains yet which bear the mark “Jingdezhen Imperial Kiln”, so it is a conundrum.
In fact, I have not found any porcelains bearing this mark……
Certainly, the ‘Victory’ pots shown above could also be contenders for this section. They are ‘western’ tablewares, but this shape is the only example I have been able to find – no other shapes, no ‘complete set’ of tablewares, and perhaps only 2 were made.
Another possibility is that the original design Peng Youxian made for Princess Elizabeth’s wedding, with a dragon and phoenix, rather than the final ‘twin dragons’ was actually made in greater numbers, as many articles infer that a set was sent to President Truman and/or General Marshall.
A final, but remote possibility is that the yellow ground tableware sets shown in 1.1.6, with the ‘Zhongzheng’ marks, and so far only found in the west, could be these ‘new western tablewares’. However, they are rice bowls, dishes, and Chinese porcelain spoons, hardly ‘western’.
A comprehensive exhibition of the ceramic works of Peng Youxian was held in 2019 at the Museum of Chinese Modern History Sites in Nanjing. I am sure that many answers to the questions posed above may have been determined here but this is the only image I have found:
In the meantime, I have tried to follow every lead, and not to be swayed by multiple online articles with the same content, little of which adds up to give a complete understanding of these interesting commissioned wares of Chiang Kai-Shek and the Nationalist Government in the mid to late 1940s.
The word ‘yangcai’ 洋彩 or ‘foreign colours’ often comes up in relation to these wares, but no real explanation is given as to what this may mean in reality, as there are no images. Yangcai is the word used by the Chinese to denote ‘famille rose’ wares, originating in the 17th century, and is almost interchangeable with ‘fencai’ 粉彩 or ‘powdery enamels’, although this latter is a later term (Late Qing). Koh Nai-King gives a comprehensive outline of these terms here – http://koh-antique.com/history/falang.htm
When one looks at images of porcelains described as ‘yangcai’ online (yes, always a lottery!) the closest match to anything described above are vases in section 1.1.5, with the blue ground!
There is one other version of Chiang Kai-Shek porcelain which is of interest. The bowl below comes from the book
Century Retrospect, Zeng’s Collection of Jingdezhen Porcelain during 20th Century 2003 ISBN 7-80178-089-2 eds. Zeng Meifang & Zeng Chengyu Hua Ling Press
This collection was acquired by a Chinese collector from Nanchang, Jiangxi Province, mainly sourced from a Hong Kong collection.
The caption reads “Republic of China” Famille Rose bowl with bats… Mark: 蒋氏簽具 – Jiǎng shì qiān jù = Chiang family tableware (Jiang’s signature).
This bowl has similarities to the yellow ground porcelains identified in 1.1.6, which have ‘Zhongzheng’ marks and it looks like a precursor to these. The borders of all examples are very reminiscent of Jiaqing mark & period medallion bowls (but the medallion on those hold a lantern of abundance, whereas these have an ogee cartouche with narcissi, lingzhi fungus and a rose atop a rock, a typically Republic period combination). The bowl pictured may or may not have been commissioned by the Chiang Kai-Sheks, but is included here in case any others turn up.
And turn up they did!
This jug was recently auctioned out of the United Kingdom and bears the same mark and almost identical pattern (colour differences visible are probably camera/reproduction related). Only the ‘fu’ character is missing in the middle of the bao xiang hua ‘flower’ on the jug. There was no provenance given unfortunately……
And another with the same mark, very similar decoration, sold in 2010, and purportedly bought in Hong Kong in the 1980s:
This search and compilation has had many twists and turns so far. As other items turn up I hope to update this report with any relevant information.
Best wishes, Michaela Russell, Sydney, Australia
Many thanks again to Simon Ng and Mike Harty for help with the translations.
I thought you might like to see some very new vases below (ebay quality) which are copying the special techniques used in the 1947 commissioned ‘Zhongzheng’ shield vases above, just for fun:
APPENDIX I:
The following is the auction description for the amphora shaped vases shown in section 1.1.2 above and sold in 2011 by Beijing Poly International Auction Company (the Kong Xiang family refers to the family of Ailing Soong, oldest sister to Madame Chiang Kai-Shek, who married H.H. Kung) – google translated. The link to the original auction no longer works for me so it is reproduced here:
“Source: The old collection of the Kong Xiangxi family in New York. This product is noble and elegant, with exquisite ears and unique accessories between the mouth and shoulders. The upper and lower decorations of the whole vessel are extremely rich and gorgeous, and the colorful colors are rich and eye-catching. The sense of porcelain reappearance. The abdomen is decorated with a variety of symmetrical and curling foreign flowers in the color of the principal gold. It is magnificent and has a begonia style opening on all sides. The inside is painted with pictures of fishing and woodland farming and four auspicious patterns such as Xinglin Chunyan and Songhe Yannian. The color is light and elegant, and the artistic conception is fresh and pleasant. It not only sees the elegant charm of the literati, but also shows the auspiciousness of the birds, showing the profound meaning of Chinese traditional culture. The bottom is the red color “Thirty-sixth Year of the Republic of China” seal mark, and the back seal is a single frame “Zhongzheng” red seal. The seal method is exquisite, elegant and simple. The fetal bone seen is firm and delicate, the glaze is white and warm, and the beauty is extraordinary, which is the character of good porcelain.
This product is one of the “Memorial Porcelain for the Victory of the War of Resistance Against Japan” ordered by the Nationalist Government in 1947. It is specially prepared for gifts to the politicians of the British and American allies. It is of great significance. From this, we can relive a wonderful and forgotten legend in the history of modern porcelain.
After the victory of the Anti-Japanese War in 1945, China’s international status has risen unprecedentedly. In order to strengthen and enhance international exchanges and demonstrate the demeanor of a great power, taking the opportunity of commemorating the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, Chiang Kai-shek summoned Wang Fan, then principal of Jiangxi Ceramics School in Lushan in August the following year. Instructed to burn a batch of commemorative porcelains for the victory of the Anti-Japanese War in Jingdezhen as a gift to the leaders of the Allied Powers in World War II. About Chiang Kai-shek’s specific instructions can be obtained from the telecommunications bulletin published in Shanghai’s “Republic of China Daily” on the 25th. The full text is as follows: “The chairman cares about Jingdezhen’s famous porcelain: (Central News Agency, Guling 24th), the old imperial kiln in Jingdezhen will be changed to a state-owned porcelain kiln. This is when Chairman Jiang met with the principal of Shengzhong School (note that it should be the ceramic industry school) Wang Fanshi Instructor. The chairman is very concerned about the current situation of Jingdezhen’s porcelain industry, saying that the country is happy to win, and the famous porcelain should be distributed to the allies for the celebration. This time the famous porcelain must imitate the style of the works of the Qianlong period, and the porcelain must be thin and the color must be thin. Elegant. Chairman Jiang asked President Wang to promptly negotiate with the Gan government and proceed actively.” For this custom-made porcelain, Chiang Kai-shek specifically requested that “the style of the works of the Qianlong period must be imitated, the porcelain quality must be thin and the color must be elegant”, with the intention of re-displaying the level of the porcelain industry in the flourishing period of Qianlong and recreating the splendor of the year.
The Jiangxi Provincial Government, Jiangxi Provincial Construction Department, Fuliang County Government and Jingdezhen Porcelain Industry have paid special attention to this matter. The provincial government designated five districts and ceramic schools, and hired a number of porcelain manufacturers to set up the Victory Porcelain Committee to be responsible for the design. According to the archives, in July of the 35th year of the Republic of China, the Provincial Department of Construction put forward specific opinions on the style, decoration and firing of porcelain. “We should follow the style of famous porcelain in the Song and Qing dynasties. The majesty and magnificence can symbolize the long-standing Chinese culture. Victory commemoration is the principle. The manufacturing method should be adopted: the method of centralized color painting of porcelain ware separately. That is, the required porcelain ware will be produced by various directors of ceramic schools and private porcelain factories, and they will be fired in good kilns; colored decorations will be hired by the association Famous painters concentrated on painting.” On October 24 of the same year, at the Fuliang Chamber of Commerce, Tao School principal Wang Fan and porcelain celebrities Tang Youguang, Zhang Hao, Liu Yucen, Rao Huajie, Pan Yongbing, Peng Youxian and others had a special meeting to discuss matters. It took time before and after the design. In May, the design drawings were sent to Nanjing. At that time, Peng Youxian, a famous modern ceramic craftsman who once worked in the Jingdezhen Ceramic Industry Administration Bureau, contributed a lot to this. He collected porcelain patterns and decorative patterns from the past and compiled them into a book. In the end, the central department of Nanjing decided on 6 types: 30 pieces of bat eardendron barrel bottles, 10 pieces of double-ear shield bottles, 60 pieces of hanging plates, 400 pieces of peach bowls, 4 sets of Wanhua tableware, 2 sets of victory tableware. It is proposed to use the words “Thirty-six Years of the Republic of China Zhongzheng” as the base. (Picture 1) Gift porcelain started operation in March of the Republic of China. According to prior research and division of labor, the two kinds of bottles were made by He Yunsheng and Wang Xikui of the pottery school internship factory. Shengli tableware was designed by Peng Youxian and made by his porcelain factory, while the round utensils were made by Rao Huafeng Porcelain Factory. In addition to the victory tableware, all kinds of white tires were painted by Zhang Zhitang, Pan Yongbing, and Zhao Jinsheng from the Tao school, and some teachers and students led them to paint the dots with red gold. The task was completed after several months of hard work. The cost of gold was huge. After the gifts were made, they were more beautiful than the design drawings. Chiang Kai-shek was quite satisfied. Then, in the name of the country or Chiang Kai-shek and his wife, they were presented to the U.S. President Truman and the U.S. special envoy Marshall, as well as the heads of state of the Soviet Union, Britain, and France. The successful production of this batch of national ceremonial porcelains has allowed the world to re-recognize Jingdezhen porcelains. It has been praised continuously overseas, and has achieved ideal diplomatic effects and grand international praise.
This important batch of “Zhongzheng” national ceremonial porcelains did not give all the gifts to the dignitaries of great powers. Some cultural relics are still preserved in three places on both sides of the strait. The situation is as follows: 1. It is stored in Taiwan. At the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall in Taipei today, five pieces are displayed in the exhibition hall. They are a double-eared shield bottle (Golden Land Wanhua Kaiguang Landscape Drawing Trophy) and a sample of a bat-eared Dendrobium bottle bottle (Auspicious Ruyi Wan Nian has more than double ears, physical storage ) Two pieces.
2. Collection in the country. Today, two pieces are displayed in the exhibition hall of Jingdezhen Ceramics Museum in Jiangxi: two ears shield bottle (Golden Land Wanhua Kaiguang landscape trophy 金地万华凯光山水奖杯) one piece (bat-eared bucket bottle 蝙蝠耳桶瓶(auspicious and wishful forever) two ears) one piece, displayed by Jiangxi Provincial Museum One piece of Dendrobium bottle 石斛瓶 bottle (remnant ear).
This shows the importance and preciousness of this batch of national ceremonial porcelains. There are two types of cutlery: Dendrobium barrel bottle 石斛桶瓶 Shíhú tǒng píng and double ear shield bottle 双耳罩瓶 Shuāng ěr zhào píng. For the former, please refer to Jiang Zhongzheng’s gift to the Japanese ambassador. Zun], later it was Lot 4313 of Beijing Poly’s 2010 Spring Sale; the latter is the most rare among this batch of national ceremonial porcelains, only 10 pieces were fired before and after. The current state of life is only seen in Taipei Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall and Jiangxi Jingdezhen Each ceramic hall has a collection. It belongs to the innovative type at that time. The prototype is from the first bottle of phoenix in the Tang Dynasty. It is also called the trophy bottle because it is similar to the popular trophy in the West. It is actually meant to celebrate the victory of the War of Resistance against Japan. And fit the historical significance. In terms of its type, craftsmanship, manufacturing cost (approximately 400,000 yuan per piece at the time), rarity and historical integration, it is considered to be the ultimate and outstanding porcelain of the Republic of China. Since it is not easy to imitate, there has been no counterfeit.
This product is the “Binaural Shield Bottle” 双耳屏蔽瓶 Shuāng ěr píngbì píng mentioned in the archives. It is a newly discovered case and is kept in pairs, which is extremely rare. It is the same as the double-eared shield-shaped bottle currently in the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall in Taipei. (Picture 2) The decorative patterns are all the same. It is decorated with the Golden Land Wanhuacai. The glaze is painted by the famous Pan Yongbing. Flower and bird decorations, luxurious and dazzling decorations, reproduce the luxurious colors of Qianlong’s gorgeous colored porcelain, which perfectly reflects Chiang Kai-shek’s requirements of “Imitating the style of Qianlong period works, striving for fine and thin porcelain, and elegant colors.” A dazzling pearl, always shining brightly. (Written by Huang Qinghua)”
“This batch of pastel Wanhua porcelain tableware of the Republic of China was originally hidden in the Presidential Palace and was the porcelain for state banquets during the Republic of China. There are different theories about its origin: one is that Lin Sen, the chairman of the Nationalist Government, personally sent someone to Jingdezhen in 1934 to burn the porcelain for the state banquet, also known as the “Royal Porcelain of the Republic of China”. There are four types of varieties: golden ground pattern, material pattern pattern, apricot yellow ground “Longevity without borders” pattern and light yellow ground “longevity without borders” pattern. It is said that this set of tableware has been kept in the Nanjing Presidential Palace until the early days of liberation. It is also said that after the fall of Nanjing in 1939, the whereabouts of this batch of tableware are unknown. This kind of argument shows that the Nationalist government has indeed fired porcelain for state banquets in Jingdezhen.
There is also a theory that this batch of pastel Wanhua porcelain tableware is related to Chiang Kai-shek. Chiang Kai-shek’s love for porcelain was rarely mentioned in the past. Wang Fan mentioned in his memoir article “Travel to Mount Lu” that Wang Lingji, the then chairman of the Jiangxi provincial government, said: “The chairman likes porcelain, especially color glaze.” According to literature records, Chiang Kai-shek I especially like the porcelain of the Qianlong period with flowers that do not show the ground. Jiang’s porcelain mainly includes ordinary life porcelain, display porcelain and birthday porcelain. Documents record that in July 1946, Chiang Kai-shek took a summer vacation in Lushan Mountain. In order to commemorate the victory of World War II, he needed to make a batch of fine gift porcelain to give to foreign friends. For this reason, he summoned Wang Fan, who was the principal of Jiangxi Province Pottery School at that time. After negotiation, it was decided that the pottery school was responsible for designing the batch of porcelain. The design time is about one month. After the drawings were sent to Nanjing, six types were set, and Wanhua tableware was one of them. After that, Wang Fan and others convened a porcelain merchant in Jingdezhen to evaluate the price, and finally decided to make four sets of Wanhua tableware, each set of 140 pieces, and each set of 10 million yuan. The bottom of each tableware is the red color of “Zhongzheng in the 36th year of the Republic of China”. From the bottom line, it is obviously not the same batch as the Wanhua porcelain tableware in the collection.
No matter who the origin of these Wanhua porcelain in the Republic of China is related to, it all comes from Jingdezhen, Jiangxi, the capital of porcelain. The Jingdezhen porcelain industry in the period of the Republic of China was only described by the word “decline of the porcelain industry” in the “History of Chinese Ceramics”, but it still made some achievements in ceramic art style and ceramic technology education. A large number of famous porcelain masters gathered in Jingdezhen to transform the light purple color that prevailed in the late Qing Dynasty, evolved into new pastel porcelain, and created a large number of pastel porcelain prints with extremely high artistic value. All of them are made of antique pastel technique, full of decorative patterns, and the technique of not revealing the bottom of a hundred flowers, showing a different style from the official kiln porcelain of the Qing Dynasty. The famous porcelain masters of the “Eight Friends of Zhushan” group specially designed and fired a batch of elegant and luxurious porcelain tableware for state banquets, leaving a worthy record in the history of Chinese ceramics.”
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Innovations and Creations, A Retrospect of 20th Century Porcelain from Jingdezhen 2004 ISBN 962-7101-69-9 Jingdezhen Ceramic Museum and Art Museum & The Chinese University of Hong Kong
• The Complete Collection of Porcelain of Jiangxi Province Morning Glory Publishers Porcelain from the year 1912-1949 (I) 2008 ed. Tie Yuan (Company and Artist signed) ISBN 978-7-5054-1744-1
Century Retrospect, Zeng’s Collection of Jingdezhen Porcelain during 20th Century 2003 ISBN 7-80178-089-2 eds. Zeng Meifang & Zeng Chengyu Hua Ling Press
WARNING: SOME OF THE WEBSITES BELOW NO LONGER WORK, A FEW MAY EVEN HAVE VIRUSES (this has happened in the past with no warning) – USE WITH CAUTION AND AT YOUR OWN RISK!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=py1hlYYk4DU – FORMOSA – CHIANG-KAI-SHEK AND ADMIRAL PRIDE (3 Feb 1955) From Formosa come pictures of Generalissimo Chiang Kai-Shek inspecting some of his forces in the capital, Taipei. America’s Admiral Pride recently met the Chinese Nationalist leader for a conference.
Many years ago I came across the photograph below and was immediately intrigued. Shown were classic dragon & phoenix tablewares from the Republic Period, being used by Meiling Soong and her husband, Chiang Kai-Shek, at their home in the wartime capital Chongqing (Chungking) in 1941.
So I started to search for more information, saved images etc and a broad and interesting picture emerged. This report has a more personal tone, looking at the porcelain collections, gifts and commissions of some of the most influential women in 20th century Chinese history.
The characters in this story are the three Soong sisters:
Whilst searching for the data, I also came across the porcelains which were commissioned by Chiang Kai-Shek (the subject of a separate report yet to be finished – Zhong Zheng wares) and his wife, Meiling, and also the gifts which the couple gave to friends and dignitaries over the years.
The history and biographical details of the people above is easy to find – if you don’t know anything about the Chiang Kai-Sheks or the Soong family I suggest that you familiarise yourself with the basics before reading further. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soong_sisters
However, the basics of the Soong Sisters are summarised in the table below, from sources above:
The presence of these remarkable women spans the whole 20th century. In terms of porcelains, it is the years from 1920 to 1949 which are of interest here; the years that they were all mostly in China.
I will look at the youngest Soong sister first, Meiling, Madame Chiang Kai Shek, showing the porcelains which Madame Chiang Kai Shek commissioned as gifts for friends and others. Then, some images of the ‘china’ they used every day plus the ‘show’ pieces decorating her and her husband’s homes and offices.
I am sure this compilation is by no means exhaustive, as new information comes up all the time. I have gathered these images over the years and have linked to sources wherever possible. However, some of the links no longer work and the website doesn’t exist anymore.
Secondly, I will show images of porcelains used by Qingling Soong and her husband Sun Yat-Sen in the Republic period, mainly found in museums – did you know that there are at least 12 museums, memorial halls or gardens dedicated to Sun Yat-Sen around the world? The former residence of Qingling Soong is open to the public in Shanghai.
Thirdly, there is scant information on Ailing Soong but I have found one piece ordered by her husband, H.H. Kung.
The Chiang Kai Sheks also commissioned an extremely interesting and large range of porcelains in the late 1940s. These are rare and reasonably well documented, mostly made in the late 1940s and will be the subject of a separate report, ‘”Zhongzheng” (Chiang Kai Shek) and other commissioned porcelain in the 1940s’.
Meiling Soong (Madame Chang Kai-Shek)
Porcelains commissioned by Meiling Soong for gifts to friends and dignitaries
Porcelains in Meiling Soong’s homes, daily use and on display
Porcelains commissioned by Meiling Soong for gifts to friends and dignitaries.
Meiling Soong was born in China but at the tender age of 10 went to the USA to school with her older sisters! She attended Wellesley College in Massachusetts from 1913 to graduation in 1917and then returned to China, not visiting the USA again until 1943 (and once again in 1965). She married Chiang Kai Shek in 1927. Following Chiang Kai Shek’s death in 1975, and having lived in Taipei since 1949, she again returned to the United States until her death in 2003, aged 105 years. She met dozens of dignitaries as the First Lady of China until 1949, and she certainly kept many close schoolfriends from her days at Wellesley.
Meiling Soong, Madame Chiang Kai-Shek, gave teabowl sets as presents to friends and dignitaries, all seemingly commissioned from a Jiujiang company, possibly the Hua Chang Gongsi. Some of these were given to trusted friends; we do know that she gave a teabowl to each member of her graduating class of 1917, in 1938. Other porcelains were apparently given to politicians she met when visiting the USA, seeking funding for the Anti-Japanese War which the Chinese Nationalist government was waging throughout the 1930s and into the 1940s.
These porcelain tea bowl gift sets have been coming up for auction this 21st century and here are some of them:
On looking at the seven examples below, one can see that several are incomplete, missing lids or saucers/stands. All that show the base have no basemark. All that show the lid have the mark character ‘Jiang’ in strong seal script – Chiang Kai Shek’s pinyin name is Jiang Jieshi (Chinese equivalent 蔣介石) , and the ‘Jiang’ supposedly refers to that. Other commemorative porcelains have the same or similar ‘Jiang’ square or circular medallion. The inscriptions are all written by the same distinctive calligrapher, here the characters shown left to right (opposite to that in the actual inscription) and their pinyin and English translation:
’27th year of the Republic of China summer Wellesley classmate commemorate Jiang Song Meiling gift’
The 27th year of the Republic is 1938. All of these beautiful teabowls are made in the same shape with quite a range of patterns, only two patterns repeated, so far.
Teabowl with yellow and pink chrysanthemums and leaves, missing its lid and stand; auction description – “Fine Old Chinese Famille Rose Porcelain Bowl & Dish Calligraphy Republic Period” Ebay auction July 2016This complete teabowl set has a beautifully painted rose and leaves – auction information was sparse – “Antique Chinese Porcelain Rice Bowl Lid & Underplate Calligraphy Poem & Signed” Ebay auction January 2019Another classic Republic period motif of nandina bamboo and narcissus with a geometric rock and a lingzhi fungus attached. The only information with this teabowl reads “rare Chinese republic tea bowl with under tray, gift from Madame Chiang Kai-Shek”Same decoration as above. This complete teabowl set had the following auction listing: “Specially made as gifts for US politicians as Song Meiling came to US to seek donation for the Anti-Japanese war. Only one left made 1938. From Private collection at River Oaks area where the Bush family live” https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/22265499This teabowl has dragon medallions and phoenix medallions, and a very narrow, almost miniature multi-coloured keyfret around the top rim (I have only seen this latter feature on Jiujiang company porcelains). It came with a selection of letters written by Madame Chiang Kai Shek, books, silver teaspoon, calling cards of Madame Chiang Kai Shek, and a porcelain teapot (shown further below), with the following description: “USA Collection of gifts from Madam Chiang Kai Shek to Mrs. John T. Clark, dated 1938. To include: A covered tea cup and saucer with the inscription “Presented to Wellesley classmates by Mayling Soong Chiang on the twenty seventh anniversary of the Chinese Republic”. A silver spoon with similar inscription, a Calling Card and a newspaper article. Also included in this lot are three books. Three addresses, messages in War and Peace and This Is Our China, Two hand signed letters signed by all by Madame Ch’iang Kai Shek and a teapot with dragon and phoenix motif on a yellow ground with a Kuang Hou inscription (Chip to spout).” https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/43937870Documents, books etc with this lot above.Another dragon medallion and phoenix medallion pattern, sold on ebay, missing the stand/saucer stand but showing the ‘Jiang’ mark on the lid and the same inscription and dating on the bowl.The information that came with this cup and lid “This item was given to Helen Prentice who was a graduate from Wellesley College in 1938. All of the seniors in that graduating class received a gift sent by Madame Chiang Kai Shek. A china tea cup with cover that comes directly from Madame Chaing Kai Shek. The graduating class drank a toast to her with the tea cup she had sent which originally had tea in it. There is a write up included in this listing and also a translation of the Chinese writing found on the side of the tea cup and the crest of the Republic of China is found on the top of the cup” https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/vintage-wellesley-college-madame-505118795
These porcelains are all dated 1938. In 1937 Jingdezhen had been captured by the Japanese Army and most of the porcelain production had been re-directed to wartime products. Although Chiang Kai Shek spent most of the following 10 years operating out of Chongqing (further west in China), it may have been that for some small amounts of time Madame Chiang Kai Shek stayed at her villa in Lushan and ordered the porcelains from Jiuiiang just 10km down the mountain (According to the literature, in July 1946, Chiang Kai-shek spent the summer in Lushan – http://njsbwgzg.com/en/Antique/antishow/id/125) . We do not know when the teasets were actually given, but one of the descriptions above indicate that they were sent rather than personally delivered, presumably from China.
Before leaving this particular group of gifts, it is worth showing a couple of bowls I have found with very similar calligraphy, two year dates 1934 and 1938, but not associated with Madame Chiang Kai Shek. The decoration, however, is of the same ilk (unfortunately no base mark to possibly determine the maker):
Below is an image of the yellow ground teapot which came with the documents and the 5th bowl above:
Below is another porcelain gifted by Madame Chiang Kai Shek to Franklin D Roosevelt:
A series of important porcelains in the form of vases, bowls, dinner sets and teasets were commissioned by Chiang Kai Shek and his wife, Meiling. Most of this porcelain was designed and made after WWII, was made at Jingdezhen and was to commemorate victory over the Japanese in WWII, and therefore sent to US politicians and heads of state in the United States and Europe. Porcelains were also commissioned as wedding gifts for Queen Elizabeth II and other events. These porcelains will be the subject of a SEPARATE REPORT – “‘Zhongzheng’ and other commissioned Chinese porcelains of Chiang Kai-Shek”.
Porcelains in Meiling Soong’s homes, daily use and on display.
So, of course, this image above began my quest. Over the years I have found many more. The Chiang Kai Sheks had many homes in mainland China during the Republic period. When they moved to Taiwan, they had mountain villas as well as the Presidential Palace.
Meiling Soong, Madam Chiang Kai Shek owned a mountain villa at Lushan, up in the hills south of Jiujiang, a prolific porcelain producing centre during the Republic period. The villa is now known as Meilu Villa, and is open to the public.
Here is a range of porcelains found in these homes, with a dating if possible.
This series of photos above was taken in June 1946, showing the dining room cupboard at the Chiang Kai Shek’s home, filled with a huge range of teabowls from the late C19th and first half C20th. (Photos by George Silk) https://www.gettyimages.com.au/detail/news-photo/cups-in-dining-room-cupboard-at-gen-chiang-kai-sheks-house-news-photo/50871505Here the Chiang Kai Sheks at some formal dinner – note the millefleur plate in front of Chiang – it has the ‘Jiang’ central red medallion on it, so perhaps a State Banquet? (See more on these millefleur porcelains in the commissioned porcelain report, yet to be published) https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/2015/04Showing the couple with 4 monochrome vases in the background, no date, but post WWII http://news.xinhuanet.com/ziliao/2013-10/24/c_125591584.htm1927 – Note the coral red or carmine ground tea bowls with cartouche. This photo above, taken in 1927 in the garden of Meiling Soong’s sister Ailing Kung’s home in Shanghai. The caption reads “General Chiang Kai-Shek And Fiance(Original Caption) 10/28/1927-General Chiang Kai-Shek, until recently Generalissimo of the Nationalist Armies in China and Miss Mei-Ling Soong, to whom Chiang is shortly to be married, are shown above. Miss Soong is a member of a famous Chinese family and a sister of Mrs. Sun Yat Sen, wife of the late leader of the Nationalist Revelution. The couple are planning a honeymoon trip to the U.S where General Chiang hopes to spend a year in Washington studying American Governmental institutions and methods, after which he will return to China to re-enter politics, Miss Soong is a graduate of Wesleyan College, Macon, GA., and of Wellesley.” https://www.gettyimages.com.au/detail/news-photo/general-chiang-kai-shek-until-recently-generalissimo-of-the-news-photo/514697598Coffee cups with a millefleur decoration for an informal meeting, Chiang Kai Shek and Meiling. No date, but looks c.1940s. Http://bbs.artron.net/thread-2979288-1-435.htmlMadame Chiang Kai-shek, Chungking (Chongqing), 1941, holding a millefleur rice bowl. The headquarters of the Nationalist Government were in Chungking at this time, although the mansion that they lived in, after surviving WWII was knocked down in 2012 by property developers. https://pictaramium.com/media/1453562351273889470 _3226015725 oldshanghaipaul ChinaRhyming(@oldshanghaipaul)
Not authenticated, but the following porcelains are reputed to have come from the estate of Madame Chiang Kai Shek in a 1999 auction of her contents of ‘Hillcrest’, the Long Island home she lived in until moving to New York at that time. The auction was held by Braswell Galleries, contained around 800 lots and attracted hundreds of Chinese Americans who wanted to buy a piece of history! “Aside from the chandeliers and a handful of paintings, many of the items resembled odds and ends that might be found in the average grandmother’s attic. “Most of it’s just residual household property,” Braswell said.
There were steamer trunks, framed photographs, lamps, vases, jars, bowls, old hi-fi speakers, television sets and a set of eight 1950s-style cocktail glasses, with an ice bucket.” Gary Braswell, auctioneer
Hillcrest was actually owned by the children of Madame Chiang’s sister Ailing Kung, and these porcelains may in fact have belonged to them.
This set of porcelain dishes above with a Jiujiang Zhen Dong company mark was auctioned again a few years ago with the following note: re: provenance….bowls were purchased in 2000 by my mother at Braswell Galleries in Stamford Connecticut. They handled Madame Chiang Kai Shek’s Long Island estate. I have contacted Braswell’s a number of times to get certification of provenance. Braswell’s did not have computerized records, only paper records from 2000. The photos showing the auction lot numbers should be helpful in gaining provenance given the right collector i’m sure Braswell’s could get their hands on the right materials. ***The saucer with the Braswell sticker is for reference only, not included in this lot.
These ‘Birthday’ Pattern pieces above are from a Kaminski auction in 2007, also purported to be from the estate of Madame Chiang Kai-Shek.
Qingling Soong and Sun Yat-Sen
Over the years that I have been archiving information for this report, many websites pertaining to Qingling Soong have come and gone. One would imagine that more data would be available today than previously, but I am finding that not to be the case. Several of the links no longer work, but I had saved the images and hope to show you some interesting porcelains that they used at home and which can be seen in the former residences of Qingling Soong, now museums.
Mr and Mrs Sun Yat-Sen do not appear to have commissioned any commemorative porcelain themselves, probably explained by Sun Yat-Sen’s early death in 1925. Despite the fact that Qingling’s parents were opposed to the marriage, her mother gave her a porcelain coffee or tea set as part of a dowry –
“There are still a few pieces of porcelain in the collection of Soong Ching Ling. This is when her mother Ni Guizhen gave her to her when she got married. The dowry-a set of colorful coffee sets. The interesting thing about this set of coffee sets is that the plates are from the Qianlong period; the pots and milk cans are from the Guangxu period; the sugar bowls and cups are made by Jiujiang Huachang Porcelain Factory. Although From three different years, the whole set of porcelain is still one piece.”
It is interesting to note that some of the pieces were made by the Hua Chang company of Jiujiang, the same company which probably made Meiling’s teabowl gifts in 1938 as shown above. The Qianlong marks are no doubt apocryphal; these sets with a mix of marks is quite common during the Republic period.
Most of the porcelains associated with Qingling which I have been able to discover are now held in her former residence in Shanghai, open to the public and the responsible body is ‘The Soong Ching Ling Cemetery Administration Office, Honorary Chairman of the People’s Republic of China, Collection Level : General Cultural Relics’. The following examples mainly come from this and associated sources http://sswgw.org.cn/wwdc/sqlww/4348.htm
This black ground millefleur bowl, sauce dish and spoon may have had a Xuantong basemarkThis celadon i-ching cong vase was displayed in the living room on the first floor of her apartment on Huaihai Middle Road, Shanghai. http://sswgw.org.cn/wwdc/sqlww/4564.htmBeautiful famille rose drum seat with dragon & phoenix in the cartouche. http://sswgw.org.cn/wwdc/sqlww/4547.htm
“In the middle and late period of the Republic of China, prominent military and political figures such as Soong Ching Ling, Wang Jingwei, Chiang Kai-shek, and Chen Lifu had also customized ceramics in their personal capacity. For example, Soong Ching Ling and Chen Lifu had customized purple clay pottery, Wang Jingwei customized “Shuang Zhao Lou” porcelain, Chiang Kai-shek Customized “Jiang” porcelain.” http://www.artyi.net/blylc/fav_7_27829.html (Link no longer works)
This cabinet full of Republic period porcelain can be seen at Qingling Soong’s former home in Shanghai. The cabinet was closed when I visited in 2016 and very hard to see what is inside. However, I was able to find this image online earlier (the link no longer works unfortunately). Nonetheless you can see the dragon and phoenix and landscape serving bowls with lids, other rice bowls and spoons, some English tureens and even some PROC lidded blue cups.
And from the Sun Yat Sen Museum, also in Shanghai, the following set of Guangxu marked yellow ground bowls:
Another image of her Shanghai home interior shows that many items of porcelain were displayed:
Although not directly related to Qingling Soong, it was interesting to see these porcelains below in the Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall in Singapore. They were commissioned for the first wife of Sun Yat Sen by one of their sons in 1936.
A similar bowl below shows the base mark, ‘Jian Hua Tang Zhi’, and a press clipping about the bowl which was included in the auction:
Ailing Soong and H.H. Kung
Ailing Soong and her husband H.H.Kung held a substantial amount of power within the family, but were very private. Although one can find out much about their financial and political dealings, there is relatively scant knowledge of the family life and their relationship to the arts. It is only by searching auction results with their name attached that I have found any information.
Neither Qingling nor Meiling Soong had children, but Ailing had four, 3 of them lived most of their lives in the USA. The eldest daughter, Kung Ling-i (孔令儀), and son, Kung Ling-kan (孔令侃), David Kung, bought the Long Island property ‘Hillcrest’ in which Meiling lived until the last few years of her life after which she moved to New York.
The only porcelain references I have been able to find is the following teacup:
“It was purportedly a gift from a descendant of Confucius, husband of Soong Ai Ling, Dr H H Kung (1880-1967), sold out of Kentucky, USA, in 2021.” If authentic, it would have been made very close to his death in 1967.
And, in 2015, Christies sold a Yongzheng bowl from the Kung estate
Provenance: The K’ung Hsiang-Hsi (Kong Xiangxi, 1881-1967) Collection, New York, and thence by descent within the family.
A pair of vases commissioned by Chiang Kai-Shek in 1947 will be shown in my next report – this pair was provenanced from the Kung family in New York and sold at Christies in 2011.
I am always aware that more information about these remarkable women and their collections will come to light. In the meantime I hope you have some new insight into their homes and collections.
Best wishes, Michaela Russell
Many thanks to Simon Ng and Mike Harty for help with the translations!
Biographies:
The Soong Sisters – 2014 by Emily Hahn ISBN-10 : 149764870X ISBN-13 : 978-1497648708 Open Road Media
Big Sister, Little Sister, Red Sister: Three Women at the Heart of Twentieth-Century China –2019 by Jung Chang ISBN-10 : 1910702781 ISBN-13 : 978-1910702789 JONATHAN CAPE & BH
The Soong Dynasty – 1986 by Sterling Seagrave ISBN-10 : 9780060913182 ISBN-13 : 978-0060913182 Harper Perennial
The Last Empress – Madame Chiang Kai-Shek and the Birth of Modern China 2010 by Hannah Pakula ISBN: 9780753828021 Simon and Schuster
A selection of other websites viewed (some links no longer work, use at your own risk):
Is it a grasshopper, or a cricket? Maybe a locust; anyway some sort of bug – all sitting above a flower sprig on Chinese porcelains of the late Qing and early 20th century (and a few a bit later).
Here is the classic example, but there are many variations:
Above you see the classic bowl in this pattern:
White ground
Ribbed relief to the porcelain
Gently scalloped top rim, often gilded
Flower sprigs of a multitude of species – peony, prunus, lotus, hibiscus, chrysanthemum, and more
All manner of insects or bugs, mainly crickets I now believe, but all drawn in an individual style, some fat, some skinny….
Often a double peach medallion is featured within the interior of the bowl
Tongzhi red marks predominate, 4 or 6 characters, always zhuanshu or seal marks, stamped or handwritten, the mark outline is often chamfered
There are also celadon and coral red ground versions.
There is a whole subset which have gold trellis dividers, in square or branching styles.
There are many mark types or no marks at all.
They come in a variety of shapes which you will see below.
But they ALL have flower sprigs and insects – look at all the beautiful interpretations! So many individual painter’s versions in this selection below.
PRECURSOR to the pattern:
I have not seen this pattern in many museums as they are possibly considered too prosaic (and actually very little Late Qing and C20th minyao porcelain is to be found in any museum). However, in the Asian Civilisations Museum in Singapore I found one pair of bowls from the Jiaqing period which may be a precursor to this pattern. It is very finely painted on fine porcelain but does not have any insects visible, just the flower sprigs.
MARKS and DATING:
In all the examples you see below there are many reign marks, predominantly Tongzhi and Daoguang.
PLEASE NOTE THAT THESE REIGN MARKS DO NOT DENOTE THE PERIOD IN WHICH THE PORCELAINS WERE MADE.
With the Daoguang marked pieces, most are handwritten, but in a style which is known to have been done in the late C19th or thereabouts. The characters are quite roughly written, angular, and often looking as they are ‘squished’ into the square mark form, especially the ‘guang’ character.
The Tongzhi marks are almost all zhuanshu or seal marks, handwritten and stamped, and with many different ‘calligraphic’ styles, probably indicating that many separate workshops were making this pattern – of course, the range of different decorative styles of the insects and flowers points to this as well!
Stamped Qianlong seal marks are seen, as are a couple of hall and commendation marks and private company marks. Handwritten red kaishu Guangxu and Qianlong marks are found on C20th/Republic period examples, and there is an underglaze blue kaishu Guangxu mark, probably of the period. There is one example of a peach & bat red mark, these are usually late C19th, and one Xianfeng mark, possibly of the period or a bit later. A considerable number of these porcelains have no mark at all.
Although the Tongzhi mark predominates, most of these porcelains were made in the Guangxu period or later. The accepted wisdom is that any stamped Tongzhi mark is certainly later than the period (1862-1874) and that only a few handwritten ones are likely to be period. This is basically a conclusion based on logistics because the Jingdezhen kilns were destroyed during the Taiping Rebellion and were not in full operation until the middle to late 1860s. The extraordinary amount of Tongzhi marked porcelain just could not have been made in these remaining 8 or so years of the reign, in a recovering and depleted Jingdezhen ceramics industry. In addition, many Tongzhi marked porcelains have datings on inscriptions outside of the reign. It is thus more correct and convenient to describe such porcelains as Late Qing. Of course the very rare kaishu Tongzhi marked porcelains, if authentic, could be mark & period.
There are several, later examples in this report, some even into the 1960s, with similar decoration, but shapes, enamels and marks which place them after 1949.
POPULARITY IN STRAITS/NYONYAWARE/PERANAKAN Collections:
Whilst these porcelains are found in the west in great numbers, they are also found in many Southeast Asian collections, perhaps in even larger numbers. Large dinner services with the white ground decoration were used for certain big family gatherings such as birthday and weddings in the Nanyang. At the end of the report you can see images of the pieces I have seen in museums in Malaysia, including some celadon and coral ground examples.
THE IMAGES:
I will show the white ground porcelains first, with the gold trellis variation at the end of the section. Then the celadon ground examples, followed by the coral ground porcelains.
WHITE GROUND
Below are a series of typical bowls, all with white ground, ribbed relief sides, gilt scalloped upper rims, and a range of insects and flower sprigs. The marks are noted, but include Tongzhi, Daoguang, Qianlong, Qing, all Seal marks and a Tang or hall mark (in black) in kaishu script.
Tongzhi 6 character red seal mark, handwritten, double chamfered borderQianlong 4 character red seal mark, stamped, double border, apocryphalDaoguang 4 character red seal mark, handwritten, no border, apocryphalDaoguang 4 character red seal mark, stamped, double border, apocryphalTongzhi 6 character red seal mark, handwritten, no borderZhang ? Tang Zhi’ black kaishu mark, no borderGuangxu 4 character red seal mark, stamped, double border, apocryphalTongzhi 4 character red seal mark, stamped, double border, apocryphalTongzhi 4 character red seal mark, handwritten, double borderTongzhi 4 character red seal mark, handwritten, single chamfered border’Da Qing Nian Zhi’ 4 character red seal mark, stamped, no borderDaoguang 4 character red seal mark, handwritten, single borderTongzhi 4 and 6 character red seal mark, stamped, double border, apocryphalTongzhi 4 character red seal mark, stamped, double border, apocryphalTongzhi 6 character red seal mark, double border
And their counterparts in plates, again, all with that distinctive ribbed relief to the porcelain.
Tongzhi 4 character red seal mark, handwritten, single chamferred borderDaoguang 6 character red seal mark, handwritten, no border, apocryphalTongzhi 6 character red seal mark, handwritten, double chamfered borderTongzhi 4 character red seal mark, stamped, double border, apocryphalTongzhi 4 character red seal mark, handwritten, single border6 character mark, stamped, double border, not a reign markChenghua 4 character red kaishu mark, handwritten, no border, apocryphal. No crickets, just butterflies – this occurs on a few items I have foundQianlong 6 character red seal mark, stamped, double border – another example with butterflies instead of crickets, apocryphal
Next, a miscellaneous grouping without the ribbed relief. Note the large range of shapes which were made.
No markGuangxu 6 character underglaze blue kaishu mark, handwritten’CHINA’ mark, handwritten in underglaze blueNo markTongzhi 6 character red seal mark, handwritten, double chamferred borderNo mark Tongzhi 4 character red seal mark, handwritten, double border on a turquoise ground baseDaoguang 4 character red seal mark, handwritten, single chamfered border, apocryphalTongzhi 6 character red seal mark, handwritten, double chamferred borderXianfeng 6 character red seal mark, handwritten, no borderJiaqing 4 character red seal mark, handwritten, no border, apochryphal as are most of the pre Guangxu marksDaoguang 6 character red seal mark, handwritten, double chamferred border, apocryphal‘Ji Xiang Ru Yi’ , ‘May your Good Fortune be as you wish’ – a Tongzhi commendation. This shape and pattern typically is Guangxu periodNo markRed ‘Peach & Bat’ mark Qianlong 6 character red kaishu mark, apocryphal, handwritten with a stamped ‘CHINA’ markTongzhi 6 character red seal mark, handwritten, double chamferred borderNo mark Guangxu 6 character red kaishu mark, with red stamped ‘CHINA’ mark (with letters transposed!) reserved on a turquoise ground base No mark Tongzhi 4 character red seal mark, stamped, double border, apocryphalNo mark Tongzhi 6 character red seal mark, handwritten, double border, turquoise ground baseTongzhi 6 character red kaishu mark, handwritten, double chamferred border, considered Mark & Period by Sotheby’s 2016
Later examples
Tongzhi 6 character red seal mark, handwritten, double border on a turquoise base. The thin enamels, clunky painting and mark style etc indicate a later probably second half C20th dating ’Jiangxi Jingdezhen Chu Pin’ red stamped circle mark, probably c. 1960s
And there are spoons….
Tongzhi 4 character red seal mark, stamped, double border, apochryphal’MADE IN CHINA’ stamped red markDaoguang 6 character red seal mark, handwritten, no border, apochryphalTongzhi 4 character red seal mark, stamped, double border, apochryphal
Below are porcelains which have, in addition to the flower sprigs and insects, a gold enamel trellis in square or branching form. The branching form is mimicking a lotus leaf. They are a significant subset of this pattern.
‘Jin Jian Tang Zhi’ – Hall of Golden Precepts (Republic) red seal mark, stamped, double borderTongzhi 6 character red seal mark, handwritten, double border, turquoise base Tongzhi 6 character red seal mark, handwritten, double borderTongzhi 6 character red seal mark, handwritten, double chamferred borderTongzhi 6 character red seal mark, handwritten, double chamferred border, turquoise baseTongzhi 6 character red seal mark, stamped, double border, apocryphalTongzhi 6 character red seal mark, handwritten, double borderQianlong 6 character red seal mark, stamped, double border, apochryphalTongzhi 6 character red seal mark, handwritten, double border3 x Tongzhi 6 character red seal marks, handwritten and stamped, double border, one on a turquoise ground base, and an undecipherable 4 character red seal mark Tongzhi 4 character red seal mark, handwritten, double borderTongzhi 6 character red seal mark, stamped, double border, apocryphalDaoguang 6 character mark, ChristiesTongzhi 6 character red seal mark, handwritten, double chamferred border
CELADON GROUND
Overwhelmingly the gold trellis version of this pattern occurs on the celadon ground examples. Many are leaf or lobate shaped and seem to have been produced in large numbers. The only exceptions (no gold dividers) can be seen in the 2 pieces immediately below; note the different and distinctive flared rectangular shape.
Qianlong 6 character red seal mark, stamped, double border, apocryphalTongzhi 4 character red seal mark, handwritten, double chamferred border
Multiple examples of square and divided gold trellis examples…..
Tongzhi 6 character red seal mark, handwritten, double chamferred borderTongzhi 4 character red seal mark, handwritten, no border, apocryphalSculpted lotus stem baseTongzhi 4 character red seal mark, stamped, double border, apocryphalTongzhi 4 character red seal mark, stamped, double border, apocryphalTongzhi 4 character red seal mark, stamped, double border, apocryphalNo mark No mark No mark Tongzhi 4 character red seal mark, handwritten, double borderSculpted lotus stem base Tongzhi 4 character red seal mark, stamped, double border, apocryphalNo markYou(?) He ? Zhi, stamped, double borderNo marks, and undecipherable Tongzhi 6 character seal mark, handwritten, double chamfered border
CORAL GROUND
This coral ground colourway is far more uncommon and it is fair to say that the Straits/Nyonyaware/Peranakan relationship is at its strongest here. This becomes apparent when one sees the museum/gallery examples in the next section. It should be noted that black birds also feature quite a bit on the Straits examples, not so on the other porcelains found.
The first eight examples below show some older pieces (meaning pre WWII) and the coral ground is more subdued that the vibrant coral red which came afterwards. The enamels are just like the older white and celadon ground ones above. However, during the PROC there must have been a desire to produce these again, which you will see further below.
No mark No mark No mark Daoguang 6 character seal mark, handwritten, double chamfered borderNo mark Daoguang 4 character seal mark, handwritten, double borderTongzhi 6 character seal mark, stamped, double border, apocryphalTongzhi 4 character seal mark, stamped, double border, apocryphal
Below you will see an image taken from Prof. Ho Wing Meng’s book on Straits Chinese Porcelain showing a collection of coral ground wares, some of which have the requisite insects aboard (the 2 kamchengs on the left do not, and are not examples of this pattern).
More recent examples (no absolute dating, but likely post 1949) of the coral ground, vibrant, but with a completely different set of enamels, and shapes.
Qianlong 6 character seal mark, stamped, double border, apocryphalTongzhi 6 character seal mark, stamped, double border, apocryphalNo mark Qianlong 6 character seal mark, stamped, double border, apocryphal
MUSEUM AND GALLERY EXAMPLES
In Penang, Malaysia, there is an old mansion which houses an extraordinary collection of Straits/Nyonyaware/Peranakan porcelains, furniture, jewellery, embroideries and beadwork. Many items which are not strictly considered Straits, but were often to be found in Straits homes are also on display.
Here is a series of photos from the Pinang Peranakan Mansion, taken in 2015, 2017 and 2019 which show many of items discussed above. You will see a few more interesting shapes in the pattern.
WHITE GROUND
CELADON GROUND
CORAL GROUND
These are much rarer, and some do not seem to have any insects – this may simply be because I didn’t get the right angle…. However, there is definitely a grouping of coral ground Straits porcelain which has the flower sprigs without insects, but that’s another story….
This lidded serving pot did not seem to have any attached insects, but one photo eventually showed an advantageous angle!
This lidded serving pot did not seem to have any attached insects, but one photo below eventually showed an advantageous angle!Qianlong 6 character seal mark, stamped, double border, apocryphalThis large kamcheng does not appear to have any insects, just black birds, a Straits pattern in itself I believe
This gorgeous spotty cricket says farewell
Best wishes, Michaela Russell
Bibliography:
Straits Chinese Porcelain, A Collector’s Guide 1983
ISBN 981-284-521-X by Ho Wing Meng Times Books International
This report will show a range of Nesting Bowl Sets from the 19th and 20th centuries. They are not common and complete sets are quite rare, most are missing a few bowls. A full set comprises 10 bowls. Dating is broad, with the earliest appearance in early C19th, most popular in the late Qing, and made into the Republic and even more recently. Dating indications will be summarized at the end of the report.
The image quality is variable I’m afraid. The watersilkdragon database has entries for these examples from 2006, when picture resolutions were far lower. Dimensions are given in the captions, but on average the largest bowl is about 11cmD.
Some sets have basemarks, many also with none; some have a basemark just on the largest bowl. Most examples have no interior decoration although some have a flower sprig or peach; a few have the same decoration as the exterior (like figural scenes) on just the interior of the very smallest bowl, quite quaint! These elements can be used to date the sets.
All the patterns seen on these nesting bowls are also seen on other shaped porcelain from the same period of manufacture, meaning there are no patterns unique to this shape.
These sets fetch quite high prices (some are eye-watering, see below!), even if damaged or with missing bowls. Therefore, there have been copies made recently – so far they are quite easy to spot.
I am not sure at this stage what these nesting bowl sets were used for – they are variably described as for sweetmeats, condiments etc but I would like to know more.
By far the most common decoration is figural scenes, so often seen around the turn of the C19th/C20th. Flowers, birds, and insects plus landscapes are also common.
I will show these examples in decorative groups, in the order that they were input into the database, although Christies and Sotheby’s examples are often at the end. Whilst I have tried to eliminate recent copies, there are a few I am unsure about and will mention that in the captions.
In this report I am showing, for the first time, auction price results. Let me know if you find this interesting or not.
FIGURAL SCENES
Typical figural scene in a garden, peach interior on all except the smallest, which shows a scholar at a desk. Stamped Tongzhi seal mark. Full set of 10, sold 2008, $1800, auction dating Tongzhi M&P, Provenance: The Gillooly & Marshall Collections, San Francisco, CA, 10.8cmD to 3.2cmDFigures in a landscape, mainly young boys; only the smallest bowl has interior decoration, a figure. All bowls have a handwritten red Qianlong seal mark in a single square. Full set of 10, sold 2009, $1105, auction dated to C19th, 11cmD to 3.5cmDFigural scenes, no marks, no interior decoration. Partial set of 6, sold 2012, $790, auction dated Tongzhi, 8.3cmD to 4cmDFigural scenes with inscription, basemark ‘Jiangxi Yi Cheng Gongsi’, from the Jingdezhen Ceramic Museum of Art. Set of nine (you can see where the 10th belonged!)Figural scenes, no marks, no interior decoration. Set of nine (again, one can see where the 10th belonged!). Sold 2013, $4050, auction dated 1st half C19th, 10.2cmD to 3.8cmDFigural scenes, no marks. Set of seven only, sold 2013, $3438, no auction dating, 9.25cmD to 5cmDFigural scenes, smallest has interior with a seated woman, rest undecorated; no marks. Full set of 10, sold 2013, $4000, no auction dating, 10.5cmD to 3.5cmDFigural scenes, inscription with artist or studio name, no interior decoration or basemarks. Full set of 10, sold 2014, $5,999, no auction dating, 10.8cmD to 3.7cmDFigural scenes, interior decoration only on smallest bowl, stamped 4 character red Tongzhi seal mark only on largest bowl. Full set of 10, but it looks distinctly like one is missing in the photo above! Sold 2019, $2025, Tongzhi auction dating, 11.5cmD to 3.3cmDFigural scenes, no interior decoration, no marks. Partial set of 7, sold 2020, GBP 1800, auction dated C19th, no dimensions’Wu Shuang Pu’ figural scenes and inscription, only smallest bowl has interior decoration, no marks. Partial set of 5, sold 2020, GBP 983, auction dated C19th, 7cmDFigural scenes, smallest has a similar interior decoration, no marks, but faces look to be earlyC20th rather than C19th maybe. Partial set of 5, sold 2020, GBP 526, auction dated Daoguang mid C19th, largest 5.4cmDFigural scenes, only the smallest has figure, plus calligraphy; only the largest bowl has a handwritten 6 character red Daoguang seal mark. Partial set of 9, sold 2018, 3200Euro, auction dated Daoguang marked, 10.5cmD to 4cmDFigural scenes ‘en grisaille’ with iron red facial features, no interior decoration and a 6 character handwritten red Daoguang seal mark on only the largest bowl. Partial set of 7, sold 2018, 2600Euro, auction dated Daoguang M&P, 6.5cmD to 11cmDFigural scenes, the smallest having similar decoration to the interior; handwritten 6 character red Daoguang seal mark to at least the largest bowl, double red border with chamfered corners; Silk presentation box from post 1990s. Christies, sold 2021, $12,500, auction dated Daoguang M&P, Provenance: J. J. Lally & Co., New York (according to label), largest bowl 10.7cmDFigural scenes ‘en grisaille’ with iron red facial features, no interior decoration, no mention of marks or interior decoration. Partial set of 7, sold 2019, $1900, auction dated Early C20th, 6cmD to 11.1cmDFigural scenes, none with interior decoration, all have a handwritten 6 character red Qianlong seal mark. Partial set of 5, sold 2019, 750Euro, auction C19th, no dimensions givenFigural scenes, smallest bowl with interior figure, only the largest bowl with a stamped 4 character red Tongzhi seal mark in a double square. Full set of 10, sold 2011, $1900, auction dating C19th Tongzhi M&P, largest bowl 11.2cmDFigural scenes ‘en grisaille’ plus sepia wash, no interior decoration, no marks. Partial set of 7, sold 2011, no pricing, auction dated late C19th, 2.5cmD to 6cmDFigural scenes, similar on interior of smallest bowl, and a 6 character handwritten red Daoguang seal mark, just on the largest bowl. Full set of 10, sold 2010, $4400, no dating, provenance: Estate of the late Virginia Hix Brame, North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, no dimensionsFigural scenes, peach on interior of each bowl, no marks. Partial set of 8, sold 2012, 343 GBP (damage), auction dating c.1880, 4.5cmD to 9.5cmDWu Shuang Pu figural scenes and inscriptions, smallest bowl has an interior figure, no information on marks. Full set of ten, sold 2004, $2250, auction dated early C19th, 3.2cmD to 11.4cmDFigural scenes, smallest bowl has an interior figure, no marks. Partial set of 8, sold 2011, $2850, auction dated early C19th, 5cmD to 11.4cmDFigural scenes, smallest bowl has an interior figure, and on just the largest bowl a handwritten 6 character red Tongzhi seal mark with double red border and chamfered corners. Full set of 10, sold 2011, $3550, auction dating C19th, largest bowl 10.8cmDFigural scenes, smallest bowl has an interior figure, no marks. Full set of 10, sold 2011, Christies, 10,000GBP, auction dating early C19th, largest bowl 11.2cmDFigural scenes, boys playing in a garden, smallest bowl has an interior figure; stamped or handwritten 6 character red Daoguang seal mark on all bowls. Note the lack of a base rim lip, which is more common mid C20th. Full set of 10, sold 2012, $190.50, no dating, 5.0cmD to 11.4cmD. Looks like last quarter of C20th from the enamels, or even C21stFigural scenes in a garden, missing smallest bowl, no marks. Partial set of 6, sold 2021, $2750, auction dated C19th, Provenance: Asian works of art from a New York scholar’s collection, largest bowl 10.1cmDFigural scenes, smallest bowl has an interior flower, at least one bowl has a stamped red Tao Zheng Chang Zhi mark in a double border. Full set of 10, 2021, lot passed, Estimate$2,500-$4,500, auction dated Republic, 6.4cmD to 10.8cmDFigural scenes, each bowl interior has a peach, handwritten 2 character red Tongzhi seal mark, double border, chamfered. Partial set of 6, sold 2021, $1600, auction dated C19th, largest bowl 10cmDFigural scenes, smallest bowl has interior figure and inscription, largest bowl only has a handwritten 6 character red Daoguang seal mark. Full set of 10, sold 2021, CAD $1700, auction dated Late Qing Dynasty, 4.3cmD to 12 cmDFigural scenes in a garden, interior of two have peaches, no marks. Partial set of 3, sold 2020, auction dating C18th Qianlong (which they are not IMO, look Republic period or after), 6cmD to 7cmDFigural scenes with bright enamels, one interior with peaches, no marks. Partial set of 9, sold 2020, $2000 (damage), auction dated C19th, largest bowl 11.1cmDFull set of 10 (but smallest bowl is cuplike), some interiors with figures, some with peaches (mismatch?), largest bowl has a handwritten 6 character red Tongzhi seal mark in a double square. Sold 2020, $2000, auction dated C19th, largest bowl 11.1cmDWu Shuang Pu figural scenes and inscriptions, smallest bowl has a figure, no marks. Partial set of 9, sold 2015, $3500, no dating, no dimensionsFigural scenes, with similar on the interior of the smallest bowl, no mention of marks. Full set of 10, sold 2011, Christies, GBP 10,000, auction dating early C19th, largest bowl 11.2cmDErotic figural scenes in the cartouche and interiors, on a sgraffito lime green ground, no mention of marks. Partial set of 9, sold 2011, Christies, $60,000, auction dated Qianlong, but C19th IMO, 5.4cmD to 10.7cmDDetailed figural scenes on exterior except the smallest bowl, which has figures only on the interior, stamped 6 character red Tongzhi seal mark in a double square. Full set of 10, sold 2010, Christies, $52,500, auction dated Tongzhi M&P, largest bowl 10.9cmD, Provenance: The Helen D. Ling CollectionFigural scenes, no image of the Guangxu mark. Partial set of 9, Sotheby’s, GBP 960, auction dated Guangxu M&P, largest bowl 11cmDDetailed figural scenes in a rocky landscape, except on the smallest bowl which has figures on the interior, no mark information. Full set of 10, sold 2013, Sotheby’s, GBP 5000, auction dated Daoguang, largest bowl 10.7cmD, Provenance: Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 29th April 1997, lot 685.
FLOWERS, BIRDS, INSECTS
Peaches and foliage, peach motif on only the smallest bowl, handwritten 6 character red Daoguang seal mark on at least the largest bowl, but later, Republic at earliest. Note the lack of a base rim lip, which is more common after mid C20th. Partial set of 9, sold 2006, $610, no auction dating, 5cmD to 11.4cmDFlower sprigs on a lime green sgraffito/graviata ground, turquoise ground interiors, no marks. Partial set of six, 2007, Gotheborg Discussion Board, no dating, considered c.1900, 5.7cmD to 7.6cmDFlower prigs and grasshopper or cricket, no interior images, largest bowl at least has a handwritten 6 character red Tongzhi seal mark in a double square, chamfered corners. Partial set of 6, sold 2008, $123.50, auction dated Tongzhi M&P, largest bowl 10.1cmDFlower sprigs in the ‘Zhang Zhidong Bao Bing’ pattern (see this report – click here) similar flowers on interior of all bowls, 2 and 4 character stamped Guangxu seal marks, and probably of the period. Partial set of 8, sold 2020, $213.50 (damage), auction dating 1900-1930, largest 11.4cmDDetailed painting of flowers and bird, each one different and each with an inscription (may read ‘Ziming’ referring to the famous porcelain artist Yu Ziming 1843-1911), interiors also with inscriptions, one cup has a 4 character handwritten red Guangxu kaishu mark, another has an illegible seal mark. Partial set of 8, sold 2009, $2500, auction dated ‘c.1830 Guangxu period’!!!(Guangxu period began in 1875!), 6.6 cmD to 11.8cmDThinly enamelled peonies, rock and bird, at least the smallest bowl with interior peony flower, each bowl marked with a handwritten 6 character red Daoguang seal mark, but midC20th at earliest IMO. Note the lack of a base rim lip, which is more common mid C20th. Full set of 10, sold 2011, $950, auction dating C20th (but could even be C21st IMO!), largest bowl 12cmDEach bowl painted with bird and different flowers and foliage, bird & bamboo on interior of smallest bowl, no marks. Partial set of 6, sold 2021, $425, no dating, 4.4cmD to 7.9cmDOrchids amongst rocks with inscription, no interior images or mention, handwritten red ‘Cheng En Tang Zhi’ mark (there is the chance that the date Ren Chen refers to 1892). Full set of 10, sold 2015, Sotheby’s, HKD 50,000 (c.$6500), dated Ren Chen, 1832, 3.6cmD to 11cmD
LANDSCAPES (some with animals)
Iron red landscape, each different, no interior decoration, just some grit on one, handwritten red ‘Jiangxi Ciye Gongsi’ (Jiangxi Porcelain Company) marks on each bowl, sales sticker attached to largest bowl. Full set of 10, purchased 2007, private collection, dating to Republic period, 3.5cmD to 10.7cmDDeer and monkeys in trees and rocks, no interior decoration, old Christies sticker, no marks. Sold 2008, $2160, auction dating C19th, Provenance: Charlotte Hortsmann & Gerald Godfrey Ltd, largest bowl 10.7cmDTownship and landscape with inscriptions, smallest bowl has similar interior decoration, no marks, known pattern and authentic, early-mid C19th IMO. Partial set of 8, sold 2010, $1705, no dating, purchase docket from 1978, China Arts & Crafts (HK) Ltd, Hong Kong for HKD1200, largest bowl 10.1cmD’En Grisaille’ landscapes, each different, figural scenes with iron red outlined faces on one bowl, only the smallest bowl has decoration, only the largest bowl has a handwritten 6 character red Daoguang seal mark, but later in the C19th IMO. Full set of 10, sold 2012, $1580, auction dating Daoguang C19th, 4.8cmD to 11.1cmDDetailed landscapes, no interior decoration, at least one bowl with an overglaze blue stamped ‘Jiangxi Guang Ya Gongsi’ mark, indicating a 1930s/1940s dating. Full set of 10, 2006, artron forum, no pricing, no dating, no dimensionsCarmine ground sgraffito/graviata each with three round cartouche decorated with 三羊开泰 ‘san yang kai tai’ – 3 sheep or goats, a rebus to celebrate the arrival of Spring, , no interior decoration, handwritten 4 character red Daoguang kaishu marks on each, indicating an early Republic dating IMO. Partial set of 9, 2015, artron forum, no pricing, no dating, no dimensionsTownship and farming scenes in a landscape in bright enamels, all interiors and bases with turquoise enamel, and each with a handwritten 4 character red Qianlong kaishu mark in a single red square, all indicating a late C19th/early C20th dating. Full set of 10, sold 2017, $1100, auction dating early Qing C18th (but later IMO), 3.8cmD to 11.1cmD
DRAGONS AND/OR PHOENIX
Yellow ground with lotus scroll with iron red and gilt dragon medallions, carmine keyfret borders on a pink band, each interior with an iron red phoenix medallion, handwritten 6 character red Jiaqing seal mark on each bowl, but probably early C20th IMO. Partial set of 9, sold 2009, $1025 (reserve not met), auction dating early C19th, 4.2cmD to 10.8cmDThis is a different shape completely! Square bowls with sloping straight sides, each with iron red nad gilt dragons chasing the flaming pearl amongst stylised clouds and above stylised wave and rock, handwritten 4 character red Guangxu kaishu marks on each base, of the period or slightly later. Set of 5, sold 2014, no final pricing, auction dating Tongzhi (which is impossible as the mark is Guangxu), 3.4cmD to 9cmDKuifeng (archaic) phoenixes of many colours amongst floral scrolls, no interior decoration, handwritten 6 character red Qianlong kaishu marks in 2 rows (instead of the more usual 2 columns) on every bowl, all indicating an early-mid C20th dating IMO. This set is remarkable in being presented in a bespoke silk covering for each bowl, all in a silk box, this too from the Republic or slightly earlier. Full set of 10, sold 2016, $4500, auction dating mid-C19th, largest bowl 11.4cmD
OTHER
In iron red and green enamels, the beribboned musical gong (one of the 8 Precious Things) above the vase of treasure (one of the 8 Buddhist Emblems) amongst floral scrolls, with circular reserves holding Chinese characters in gold, outlined in red, interior decoration only on the smallest bowl, no basemarks. Partial set of 7, 2014, sold GBP 210, auction dating C19th, largest bowl 11cmDYellow ground with Bao Xiang Hua and scrolls with a ruyi upper border, and a ‘spoke’ basal border, scattered sanduo fruits on all interiors, handwritten 4 character red Qianlong kaishu mark on each bowl, old Christies label on base. Full set of 10, sold 2018, $1825, auction dating early C20th, no diameter dimensionsMixed patterns but standardised (this same combination s seen on condiments and normal bowl sets and was popular during the late C19th). Iron red ground and gold flowers with a scroll shaped cartouche containing a landscape; sgraffito/graviata lime green ground with flower sprigs; pink ground with carmine arabesque; white ground with red ideograms; blue sgraffito/graviata grund with flowerballs; yellow sgraffito/graviata ground with flower sprigs; rich brown ground with gold bamboos; faux marble ground with inscriptions; pale blue ground with darker blue arabesques; we will never know what the missing and smallest bowl held, but I would suggest it is a landscape on a white ground (from other examples), no basemarks. Partial set of 9, sold 2021, $5,500, dating C19th, no diameter dimensions, Valin Galleries label on bottom, Provenance: From a private New York City collection.
Having individually described each of these sets above, I can now see a couple of interesting but basic dating and other pointers. The constraint is that many bowls are missing, so that it is difficult to be unequivocal about this.
Broadly, and as a first impression, nesting bowl sets:
With no marks except the largest bowl, tend to be from the late Qing Dynasty
With marks on all bowls (reign marks and private company marks), tend to be Republic period
Base rim configuration – the lack of a base rim lip on all the bowls seems more common on post mid C20th bowls.
The most usual decoration on these nesting bowl sets is that of figural scenes typical of the mid-late Qing. Some of these figures show decorative changes which indicate a slightly later date into the early Republic period. And there have been recent and increasing copies of these figural scenes on many Chinese porcelains, so caveat emptor.
An interesting subject and shape, and they display beautifully!
This pattern is delightful. I have been adding examples to the watersilkdragon database for over 20 years and now feel confident to produce a comprehensive report.
The pattern is quite straightforward – black to grey and iron red to brown dragons all with richly gilded scales play amongst chrysanthemums and foliage, all ‘en grisaille’ (that is, in shades of dark grey, even black, to white).
My quintessential discovery was way back in 2005 at the British Museum where three brushpots were on display:
They show the range of dragon colours and the full chrysanthemums and buds. They have yellow ground borders with grisaille scrolls. They are unmarked (although you can just the museum identification marks on their bases). The description says ‘Porcelain with decoration in enamels Dragons amongst flowers About 1880-1890’ The acquisition date is 1893.
DESCRIPTION
COLOUR: In all the examples I have seen the predominant ground colour is turquoise. Other ground colours are yellow, salmon, shades of blue, green, and a ruby red. 50% are turquoise, 45% are yellow and the other colours make up the rest. Some examples have borders like the ones above, but there are a few other border variations which you will see on the examples below.
MARKS: Most of the pieces, especially the vases, have no mark, and this, for me, indicates most strongly that they are export pieces. The quite heavy potting and bases also add to this observation – many of the vases look identical in form and weight to similar famille rose, rose medallion and similar export pieces from the Late Qing. Some of the plates and platters have a rose medallion border. Many of the bowls do have marks – Other marks: stamped 4 or 6 character Guangxu red seal; handwritten 6 character kaishu Guangxu; apochryphal Jiaqing red seal; apocryphal handwritten Xianfeng kaishu; apocryphal handwritten Qianlong seal; apocryphal underglaze blue 4 character Kangxi kaishu; and a couple more as indicated below.
PATTERN: a brownish or greyish or black playful dragon or both/all with a somewhat crazy facial expression is the quintessential feature of this pattern. They always have beautifully gilded scales. Chrysanthemum flowers, foliage and buds, all ‘en grisaille’ are interspersed. On many there are also mallow flowers, also ‘en grisaille’. Some dragons are iron red and the dragon’s tongue is often red!
SHAPES: Plates and chargers, bowls, punch bowls, vases, drum seats, spittoons, footed bowls, lidded jars, lanterns, scalloped dishes, teapots, brushpots, platters, tulip vases, moonflasks, dishes, mugs, coffee cup & saucer, miniature teabowls, fish bowls, beakers, and more.
BORDER TYPES: No border or floral scroll (black scrolls) on yellow, turquoise, blue, green or pink ground, floral scroll with flowers in cartouche, green & aubergine diaper, key fret, rose medallion, rose canton, single colour key fret. On turquoise ground pieces, the border is often yellow ground, and on yellow ground pieces the border is often turquoise.
ENAMELS: The combination of thick opaque ground enamels and the ‘en grisaille’ flowers, in addition to the rich but selectively placed gilding is quite arresting. There really is no other type of Chinese porcelain like this to my knowledge, such a striking combination. The white enamels of the flowers is often thick and even crackled, and it not a pure white (new imitations often are), and often worn, exposing a slightly darker shade of ‘white’.
DATING: Most of the examples below are, like the V&A museum examples, dated to around 1880s and 1890s. Several may have been made at the beginning of the C20th, but it is difficult to tell when the fashion for these items dimmed. Certainly they have become popular again in the last few years, as the section on recent copies will show!
NOT DAYAZHAI: The mix of ‘en grisaille’ elements and turquoise or yellow ground has a strong resemblance to a couple of the Dayazhai patterns. But no Dayazhai pattern ever has a dragon, nor any gilding. In addition, the potting of these two different patterns is completely different. Dayazhai porcelains, with the exception of narcissus or bulb pots, are all finely potted and have a range of completely different shapes. The main resource for Dayazhai examples is “Gugong Museum: GUANYANG YUCI: GUGONG BOWUYUAN CANG QINGDAI ZHI CI GUANYANG YU YUYAO CIQI. (Official Designs for Imperial Porcelains: Qing Dynasty Official Designs for the Manufacture of Porcelain and Imperial Ceramics in the Collection of the Gugong Museum)” – a quick look through the images there would dispel any doubts – and I will show a couple at the end of the report. Basically, if the piece has dragons, gilding and no dayazhai marks it is part of this Dragon & Chrysanthemum export pattern. If it has dragons, gilding PLUS dayazhai marks it is probably a recent copy.
OTHER DECORATIONS: There is also a subset of this pattern, where the shapes are similar, the flowers are ‘en grisaille’, but there are no dragons. Turquoise or yellow ground, but NO dayazhai marks. I will also show a few examples of this below.
At the end of the report I will show some recent copies, most of which are quite easy to pick, thankfully, at this stage.
These examples are shown in order of colour: turquoise; yellow, salmon pink; blue; ruby red; green. Within each grouping I will divide the pieces by shape: vases; punch bowls; chargers; plates/platters; bowls etc. You will get a very good idea of the pattern just by scrolling through these porcelains, checking the subsets, and keeping in mind the plethora of new examples (aka recent copies).
TURQUOISE GROUND VASES, MOONFLASKS, BRUSHPOTS ETC
You will note the huge range of turquoise hues, some real, some no doubt due to camera and monitor settings. Despite this, and the many other variations, the vigour of the dragons, their crazy faces, are all apparent. All of the vases except one (the brushpot) are unmarked.
These vases have a bit extra!Later example?
TURQUOISE GROUND PLATES, PLATTERS AND CHARGERS
This plate doesn’t look authentic at first look, but the recumbent base rim, grit and other features place it into Late Qing times nonetheless. Some of these examples which I gathered many years ago have very poor resolution, so it can be a bit tricky.
TURQUOISE GROUND BOWLS
Later, probably Republic, exampleLater example?This little teabowl, only 6cmD, is made of eggshell thin porcelain and is an oddity. In great contrast to the generally rather large and thickly potted other examples, I have only seen one other like this!
‘Xie Zhu Zhu Ren’ = Master of the Xie Bamboo (Daoguang and Republic according to Davison marks book) – the latter.Keyfret border and shape put this into the Republic period I thinkKangxi mark in underlaze blue on this fish bowl, perhaps early RepublicThese garden drum seats were considered to be Guangxu period by Sotheby’s, but they look to be later from the scroll layout, even second half C20th.
YELLOW GROUND VASES, BRUSHPOTS ETC
Later example?
YELLOW GROUND PLATES, PLATTERS & CHARGERS
Canton Rose borders on several of these yellow ground platesSome of these examples look as if they have been put through the dishwasher, such is the poor condition of the enamels!
YELLOW GROUND BOWLS
Later example?Christies – considered Jiaqing M&P, but I believe Late Qingat earliest. Note the keyfret border.This looks more recent to me, mainly because of that turquoise enamel pile up next to the mark
YELLOW GROUND TEAPOTS, DRUMSEATS, SPITOON ETC
Even a spittoon!
SALMON PINK GROUND EXAMPLES
GREEN GROUND EXAMPLES
Sotheby’s, dated C19th
BLUE GROUND EXAMPLES
I am actually not 100% convinced about a Late Qing dating for either of these blue ground examples.
This almost looks like a Chenghua seal mark? The dragon and his scales, the crackled base, not sure??With this example the borders and the base are unusual.
RUBY RED GROUND EXAMPLES
This vase was sold by Christies in one of their ‘Interors’ sales. They gave no dating and described an ‘apochryphal Guangxu mark’. I believe it to be turn of the C20th/C21st
SUBSET PATTERNS: Below you will see some examples of this pattern of ‘en grisaille’ chrysanthemum and other flowers and foliage on similar items to those above, but there are NO dragons, and the forms are thickly potted in the main, showing their export credentials. So one can see how these are then easily mistaken for dayazhai wares, even though they have NO dayazhai marks and do not have all the other attributes of the very strict dayazhai decorations (see this report for a brief outline on the main authentic Dayazhai patterns – https://watersilkdragon.wordpress.com/2013/06/06/dayazhai-%E5%A4%A7%E9%9B%85%E9%BD%8B-porcelains-a-brief-outline/ .)
Rare example with butterflies instead of dragons
SUBSET PATTERN 2: This is another variation, which may have been later than these Late Qing examples, perhaps even within the last few decades – really I am not sure as I haven’t had a chance to closely inspect them. All have greenish black keyfret borders on a turquoise or yellow ground and 3 marks: apochryphal Daoguang 6 character seal; ‘Xing You Heng Tang’ = Hall of Consistent Conduct – mark of the Fifth Prince, Ding Zaiquan (and considered Jiaqing and Daoguang by Davison) but Republic?; ‘Xie Zhu Zhu Ren’ = Master of the Xie Bamboo (Daoguang and Republic according to Davison) but Republic?
RECENT EXAMPLES (last 25 years or so)
The copies of Chinese porcelains seem to come in waves, with often quite amateur new expressions of an older pattern and then subsequent refinement and even over-gilding of the ‘lily’.
All the examples below are from China, USA or UK based sellers whose inventory is huge and full of copies.
Firstly a couple of older copies (2000-2015)
Layout of dragons all wrong, too much black overstippling, no red tongue etc
Note the plain opaque white flowers
Dragon shape and colouring, and the gilding, all off, Shendetang Zhi mark.
In the last couple of years, but not before, there has been the addition of Dayazhai marks on some of these examples.
All enamels are wrong in colour and application; gilding wrong, addition of Dayazhai marks, which are very badly done; pattern shouldn’t be on exterior of the plate; nor should a ‘Yong Qing Chang Chun’ base mark (should only be on Dayazhai pieces).
And a blue version too! Very blue…..
This lidded jar makes me smile – no dragon but a gilded mythical beast, and an overglazeblue Yongzheng mark!
The turquoise is quite good here but the layout, gilding, addition of Dayazhai marks (SO red!)…..
Finally, this fish bowl is beautifully made, but it is a recent example (as acknowledged by the owner) – that pure white enamel is the giveaway…
ACTUAL AUTHENTICATED DAYAZHAI EXAMPLES
I hope to have shown that this pattern is not one to confuse with the Dayazhai pattern, but just to bring the point home here is a selection of those two Dayazhai patterns – Spring and Autumn.
From the Gugong Museum in the Forbidden City, one of the Spring patterns which has grisaille peony flowers and insects (moths), plus the imperial ‘cartoon’ from which the pattern would have been painted. It needs ALL these elements to be authentic, as indicated on the ‘cartoon’.
Secondly the Autumn pattern, with chrysanthemum and hibiscus flowers, and a flying blackbird. This pattern, I am sure, is the one which is confused with the Dragon & Chrysanthemum pattern under discussion, mainly because the flowers and colouring are so similar. Again, ALL these elements are required to be authentic, the marks, the blackbird etc.
These pieces were ordered by the Emperor Tongzhi, the artists had to follow the cartoons above meticulously. Every piece had to look the same, only a very select number of shapes were made, and none of them included export vases!
I love both these patterns, all these patterns, and I hope you do too,
Best wishes, Michaela Russell, Sydney, Australia
Many thanks to Mr Ch’ng Huck Theng, Penang, for the images of the green ground footed dish.
Bibliography:
• Gugong Museum: GUANYANG YUCI: GUGONG BOWUYUAN CANG QINGDAI ZHI CI GUANYANG YU YUYAO CIQI. (Official Designs for Imperial Porcelains: Qing Dynasty Official Designs for the Manufacture of Porcelain and Imperial Ceramics in the Collection of the Gugong Museum). Beijing, 2007 ISBN 978-7-80047-638-9. The Forbidden City Publishing House, 335 pp.
• Marks on Chinese Ceramics 2021 ISBN 978-0-9564518-2-8 by Gerald Davison
Further reading on Dayazhai porcelains:
Dayazhai Ware: Porcelain of the Empress Dowager 1992
By Ronald W. Longsdorf Orientations March 1992 pp 45-56
The Great Fortune, Chinese & Japanese Porcelain of the 19th and 20th centuries & their forerunners, from the Weishaupt Collection 2002
In the period 1955 to the 1970s a series of interesting porcelains were made in Jingdezhen bearing this STYLE of basemark
HANDWRITTEN MARK STAMPED MARK
They read “Zhong Guo Jingdezhen Zhi =D=” and have a distinctive bracket (called a straw hat by the chinese reserachers) at the top. Originally these marks were handwritten and placed on special porcelains. Into the 1960s and 1970s all examples with this style of mark were stamped and were factory made daily use wares. At the time of writing this report I have recorded the following letters, all in red except for the rare =K=, which is always in overglaze blue:
=C=
=D=
=G=
=H=
=I=
=J=
=K= only in overglaze blue
=N=
=O=
=Q=
=R=
=V=
=W=
=Y=
=ZI= (could read =2乙 or even Z1)
There are also basemarks with =numbers= but only 2 numbers so far, and they appear to be exclusively late 1970s….
=23=
=42=
Now, according to the records (outlined in this article https://www.sohu.com/a/315485012_99943302), several other letters were used as well, all corresponding to particular Jingdezhen state-run factories, as shown below:
“In October 1964, when each porcelain factory opened the “Jingdezhen, China” base section, the mark codes for the base section of the top 10 state-owned porcelain factories in Jingdezhen were as follows:
=A= Red Star Porcelain Factory 红星瓷厂
=B= Universe Porcelain Factory 宇宙瓷厂
=C= Weimin Porcelain Factory 为民瓷厂
=D= Art Porcelain Factory 艺术瓷厂
=E= Jianguo Porcelain Factory 建国瓷厂
=F= People Porcelain Factory 人民瓷厂
=G= Hongqi Porcelain Factory 红旗瓷厂
=H= Guangming Porcelain Factory 光明瓷厂
=I= Dongfeng Porcelain Factory 东风瓷厂
=J= Jingxing Porcelain Factory 景兴瓷厂
=K= Xinhua Porcelain Factory 新华瓷厂 was separated from Xinping Porcelain Factory, and its code name was K.
=L= Hongguang Porcelain Factory 红光瓷厂
=M= Sculpture Porcelain Factory 雕塑瓷厂
=P= Shuguang Porcelain Factory 曙光瓷厂
The 14 porcelain factories mentioned above were regarded as the “Top Ten Porcelain Factory” in Jingdezhen at that time……In addition,
=N= Xinguang Porcelain Factory 新光瓷厂 was the city’s ceramic painting factory at that time
=O= Ceramic Processing department 陶瓷加工
There are also those that use X as the mark code, but it is not clear why the unit uses it.”
From the same source as above – “In January 1976, abandoned the printed lantern style, printed straw hat style and “China Jingdezhen” seal script square style.” That is, this 1976 date appears to be the latest date for these lettered and top-bracketed marks.
So we have a fairly good dating of these stamped marks – from around 1964 to 1976.
I cannot at this stage explain the discrepancies between the two sets of letters. My records have no examples of the A,B,E,F, nor the L,M or P letters. But I do have examples of several letters which are not mentioned, and for which I can find no information on – these are the Q, R, V, W, Y, and ZI letters! The examples will be shown below.
In this report I will show examples of the HANDWRITTEN =D= marks followed by the STAMPED =D= marks and then examples of all the other stamped letter marks.
HANDWRITTEN =D= porcelain examples
At this stage I am not sure which ‘factory’ or manufacturer produced these handwritten =D= examples and it could have been more than one.
Handwritten marks are found on very different porcelains to the stamped ones. Usually they are beautifully painted vases and brushpots, sometimes dated, and sometimes signed by the artist. They correlate well with the typical decorations found on the Ceramic Institute and Art School pieces of the late 1950s to mid 1970s. They are rare, usually found only in books and museums. Only the =D= marks are handwritten, all the others are stamped. All the examples from the ‘Innovations & Creations’ book are from the Jingdezhen Ceramic Museum and Art Museum or the Chinese University of Hong Kong collections.
This brushpot, from the book ‘Innovations & Creations’ is dated Bing Shen, 1956 and signed by the artist, Wang Yijun (1904-1989). The mark is handwritten. Beautifully painted in the style of the Republic period Literati artists with birds, flowers and rocks.
This vase is also from the book Innovations & Creations, dated 1960-1965 and carries a seal mark ‘Xue Ji’. Handwritten mark, 20cmH.
Another vase from the Innovation & creations’ book, same handwritten mark and dated mid 1960s-mid 1970s, 24.5cmH. The symmetrical sun and sunflower design, representing Mao Zedong and his followers is typical for the Cultural Revolution period.
This vase, from the same book above, is also dated to the Cultural Revolution period 1966-1976. A hawker is selling the ‘Selected Works of Mao Zedong’. Handwritten mark, 45.9cmH.
This vase is from the book ‘Century Retrospect, Zeng’s Collection of Jingdezhen Porcelain during 20th Century’, and shows another classic Cultural Revolution scene of children sharing food, and the written words of Mao Zedong. Handwritten mark, 35.5cmH.
This bowl was sold by Sotheby’s Paris in 2013 and shows a range of beautifully painted peonies with a rich iron red and gilt border. Handwritten mark, 23.4cmD. Strangely, it was labelled Hongxian mark & period, which it is not.
Part of a Dutch private collection this vase was acquired in the 1970s. It is dated in the inscription to 1968. Note the different calligraphic style of the handwritten mark, but considered to be part of this grouping nonetheless. 31.5cmH.
This small vase, 12cmH, is from a San Diego estate, showing a bird and blossoms. Not yet authenticated.
From the same source as above, but showing definite Cultural Revolution decoration on the teapot. Handwritten mark.
STAMPED =D= factory porcelain examples
=D= Art Porcelain Factory 艺术瓷厂
The stamped =D= porcelains are for the most part entirely different from their handwritten counterparts. The great majority are daily use wares: bowls, jars, dishes and plates. However, they are consistently well made, and there are a few examples with designs unique to much factory porcelain. I believe most of them date to Cultural Revolution period of the PROC – mid 1960s to mid 1970s – and would be the most easily available porcelain examples for this interesting time period.
However, another source suggests that the =D= ‘Art Porcelain Factory’ was established in 1958. Not sure when the photo of it below was taken: https://www.sohu.com/a/282063908_210889
Photos of all of these factories mentioned below can be found at the link above.
You will see below many familiar Bao Xiang Hua, Wan Shou Wu Jiang decorations. Also many carmine, and other colour, graviata grounds with landscape cartouche, plus black ground millefleur, and few select landscapes with black filigree borders. However, there are also a few ‘surprise’ patterns which I find with these marks only. I will label these ones with a star *. They are shown in the order they were put into the watersilkdragon database. There are overwhelmingly more =D= factory examples relative to the other letters and numbers – this may be an artefact of my interest!
* Note the soviet style industrial buildings in this landscapes. No more pagodas!
* Whilst graviata/sgrafitto dragons are quite common, this floral pattern is rare
* This bajixiang (Buddhist emblems) pattern has been used since the lateC18th. Similar bowls to this were made in 1940s with ‘Ya Wan Zhen Cang’ overglaze blue mark, and were completely handpainted. This =D= factory example has stamped borders.
* This large serving bowl and the plate below show a detailed landscape and have a purchase receipt for 1972
* These plates appear to be unique to the =D= factory
* This gold ground millefleur is another unique expression of the pattern, only seen on =D= factory examples. I have seem a whole teaset with this pattern
* Again, note the factory in the landscape, perhaps Jingdezhen and the Art Porcelain Factory itself!
* Tiger amongst the grasses, rare decoration
* This and below another gold ground millefleur, but a more standard rendition for the time
STAMPED =C= factory porcelain example
=C= Weimin Porcelain Factory 为民瓷厂
STAMPED =G= factory porcelain examples
=G= Hongqi Porcelain Factory 红旗瓷厂
STAMPED =H= factory porcelain examples
=H= Guangming Porcelain Factory 光明瓷厂
STAMPED =I= factory porcelain examples
=I= Dongfeng Porcelain Factory 东风瓷厂
STAMPED =J= factory porcelain example
=J= Jingxing Porcelain Factory 景兴瓷厂
STAMPED =K= factory porcelain examples
=K= Xinhua Porcelain Factory 新华瓷厂
These =K= stamped examples are unique in that they are all stamped with an overglaze blue mark instead of red. They are very finely painted. The first is from the ‘Innovations and Creations, A Retrospect of 20th Century Porcelain from Jingdezhen’ book:
Dated to the mid 1960s- mid 1970s, with images referring to the Cultural Revolution and quotations in the style of Mao Zedong. The mark appears to be stamped, 35.5cmD.
*This seal paste box, with vermillion ink still inside, is simply but meticulously painted
*This example, too, is much better painted than most factory goods
STAMPED =N= factory porcelain examples
=N= Xinguang Porcelain Factory 新光瓷厂
* This particular pattern and others similar below are a departure from ordinary factory goods. The arabesques are notably new for this period
*Another example of well executed arabesques
* Another unique pattern, so far, to the =N= factory, with butterflies and chrysanthemums alternating with precious objects in cartouche. There is a bowl example below.
* A rare lotus arabesque pattern
STAMPED =O= factory porcelain example
=O= Ceramic Processing department 陶瓷加工
* A very large and detailed pink sunflower
STAMPED =Q= factory porcelain examples
I can find no information yet of the name of this factory in Chinese
* This black ground millefleur is not a conventional one and is quite well and carefully painted
*Another black ground millefleur, very richly painted in detail. I believe that the millefleur painting from this factory is generally the highest quality found in mass produced PROC porcelains
STAMPED =R= factory porcelain examples
I can find no information yet of the name of this factory in Chinese
* This yellow ground Wan Shou Wu Jiang teaset is much more detailed and well enamelled than its ubiquitous 1980s and later counterparts
STAMPED =V= factory porcelain examples
I can find no information yet of the name of this factory in Chinese
STAMPED =W= factory porcelain example
I can find no information yet of the name of this factory in Chinese
STAMPED =Y= factory porcelain examples
I can find no information yet of the name of this factory in Chinese
STAMPED =ZI= factory porcelain examples
I can find no information yet of the name of this factory in Chinese
* The mark on this charger looks more like a ‘2’ and a ‘ 乙’(Yi) ?
STAMPED =23= factory porcelain examples
My impression is that these numbered series are a little later – 1970s
STAMPED =42= factory porcelain examples
My impression is that these numbered series are a little later – 1970s
I think these marks and their porcelains are interesting. We have enough historical information to identify many of the factories from which they came and the 10-15 year time range in which they were made. It is even more satisfying to see the higher end ‘art’ pieces which either preceded them or were made by specialists in the same factory at the same time!
Best wishes, Michaela Russell, Sydney, Australia
Bibliography:
Innovations and Creations, A Retrospect of 20th Century Porcelain from Jingdezhen 2004 ISBN 962-7101-69-9 Jingdezhen Ceramic Museum and Art Museum & The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Century Retrospect, Zeng’s Collection of Jingdezhen Porcelain during 20th Century 2003 ISBN 7-80178-089-2 eds. Zeng Meifang & Zeng Chengyu Hua Ling Press
This has been a journey of discovery which I hope you will enjoy! Many years ago a beautiful and unusual plate was shown on the Gotheborg Discussion Board. The plate had this mark – Bao Bing Xuan Yong (包氷選用).
The plate has a central dragon medallion in iron red and gold enamels surrounded by 3 sprigs of flowers, almost all of which had strange spikey khaki coloured leaves with star shaped finials, all outlined with a red line. No one had seen the pattern before, but the quality was remarkably good. Suggestions were made as to the meaning of the mark, but nobody could explain the flower motifs.
And then an almost identical plate, same Bao Bing Xuan Yong’ mark, below, was posted on the same thread – this was back in 2013.
I noticed over the years that ‘derivatives’ of this pattern turned up every now and then at auction, with and without the dragon medallion, and with a variety of marks and quality. I kept a record of these examples (of course!).
Recently the mark has been given a more pertinent translation –
Bao Bing Xuan Yong (包氷選用) – “Selected for use by a Devotee of Hardship”
– artistic name of prominent politician / collector Zhang Zhidong, 1837-1909. At this stage we have no idea where this translation information came from (it is in Davison’s new 2021 edition of Chinese marks, but the translator is not available to comment at present….). The literal translation of 包氷選用 is to hold (or embrace) ice and put it to use (or selection), so one can see where the Davison translation has its roots. ‘Bao Bing’ is one of several pseudonyms of Zhang Zhidong.
Armed with this slither of new knowledge I went looking for answers. I wanted to know more about the man, Zhang Zhidong, about Baobing, and I wanted to find out what the flowers were and if they had a special meaning. I also wanted to make sure this information got some attention – I would be most appreciative if anyone with any pertinent knowledge of the decoration, or of Zhang Zhidong’s association with porcelain, could make a comment below….
Now, these two original plates are the only ones I have seen. Both were found in Europe or the United Kingdom. I can find absolutely no information on this kind of porcelain associated with Zhang Zhidong on the Chinese websites, despite hours of searching. From this I am surmising that these plates may have been commissioned by Zhang Zhidong as gifts for visiting foreign dignitaries or the like.
First, a quick biography of Zhang Zhidong, with emphasis on his artistic/collector habits. A more complete biography can be found here – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhang_Zhidong and countless other chinese websites.
Zhang Zhidong 張之洞
Zhang Zhidong became famous for his input into the development of the iron and steel industry in Hubei, and in the railway systems and stations around the capital of Wuhan. Being one of the top four officials of the late Qing Dynasty, he became the Governor or Viceroy of several provinces, had a direct relationship with Cixi, Dowager Empress, and was known to be a reformer, backing the modernisation (implying westernisation) of Chinese industry, education and the military. He was posthumously affirmed by both Sun Yat-Sen and Mao Zedong. He was part of the powerful elite in Late Qing China, but was considered more pragmatic, and also more academic than many of his more pugnacious, military trained ‘colleagues’.
There is even a new museum in Wuhan dedicated to his quite remarkable accomplishments –
There is also a Baobingtang temple in Shouyi Park in Wuhan. It was originally built by Zhang Zhidong’s students to commemorate him and has recently been renovated:
Baobingtang in Wuhan’s central park, first picture taken in the first half C20th and recent photo showing renovations.
He certainly was able to put into practice aspects of industry modernisation in China, often against the odds. He did this by bringing together Provincial Administrators and businessmen, establishing modern manufacturing techniques in steel, railways, some agricultural pursuits, silk production etc; he even was instrumental in suggesting the establishment of what would eventually become the Jiangxi Porcelain Company – the actual establishment would come many years later after several attempts by others.
His personal life, his calligraphy and his other artistic pursuits will be dealt with below. I will be looking further, in other reports, at the political and artistic literati of this turn of the century period because it was a time when buyers from the West were eager for Chinese porcelains, and many were made at this time with earlier Qianlong and some Yongzheng marks.
Second, I would like to show you a set of images of the 2 original plates, plus some of the ‘derivatives’ which appear to be based on this pattern. The making of this kind of ‘derivative’ pattern was a common practice during the Late Qing period and into the Republic period as well. One sees it happen with many other patterns, some of which continued to be made up to the present day. However, this particular pattern is quite uncommon, and manufacture of it tailed off by the early Republic period.
The similar plate from a UK owner, with a slightly different collection of flowers sprigs, and a central dragon which appears darker, as if it had been fired longer. The plate has a different profile, most easily seen on the back.
This plate (in the collection of the UK owner) is very similar again, the dragon medallion is larger, there are flower sprigs on the exterior, and it has a 6 character handwritten kaishu Guangxu mark.
Below are all the other ‘derivatives’ (in no particular order, Sotheby’s and Christies examples at the end) I have found over the years:
WITH A CENTRAL DRAGON MEDALLION
The central dragon medallion does not appear on many examples, but it is beautifully painted in iron red enamel and richly gilded.
The flowers are quite different from those normally found on Chinese porcelain. What is immediately noticeable is the colour and shape of the leaves – khaki brown and spikey (some are elongate and smooth), all having a star shaped seed head, regardless of the flower type or colour. Some of he flowers look to be from the carnation family, maybe some from the chrysanthemum family. The blue flower is distinctive and possibly one of the species of the blue poppy (mecanopsis), native to China and the Himalayas, rare and difficult to grow (though they don’t have the star seed head shown). Some of the flowers are of a fantastical nature, with 2 colours of petals, almost not real to life? Or are they copying some of the Persian versions of carnations as seen on Iznik wares – though these Iznik carnations are stylised whereas this depiction is more naturalistic.
Two plates, both with four flower sprigs compared to the three in the examples above; Guangxu handwritten kaishu marks.
Shell-shaped dishes, mostly seen with Guangxu marks in other patterns, flower sprigs on the exterior.Guangxu handwritten kaishu mark.
This footed dish has a celadon ground, a ‘looser’ dragon, and some of flowers, excluding the blue one; stamped Qianlong seal mark.
WITHOUT A CENTRAL DRAGON MEDALLION
A lobate footed bowl with much cruder flower sprigs; Private company ‘Cha Yong Xing Zao’ stamped mark. There is no blue flower, just the carnation like ones.
Candlestick or Oil burner with a full range of flowers; Private company ‘Hu Heng Mao Zhi’ stamped mark.
Large plate with a slightly different range of flowers, all having a purplish hue; same spikey leaves in khaki/brown. Handwritten (I think!) 4 character Guangxu mark.
Elongate ginger jar with a surprising palish blue ground, more ‘conventional’ looking flowers; the blue flower is here a mix of pink and blue; same khaki/brown spikey leaves. Underglaze blue handwritten 4 character Kangxi mark.
Brushpot with a restricted range of flowers. The khaki spikey leaves and flowers are outlined strongly in red; stamped 4 character Tongzhi seal mark.
This little doucai bowl with underglaze blue tortoiseshell borders has rudimentary flowers, including the blue one, all outlined in red; Guangxu underglaze blue mark.
This vase has quite nicely painted flowers and spikey khaki leaves, no blue flower, no mark. Green and yellow diaper borders and a pink keyfret on turquoise.
Hatstand with a full range of the flowers, all outlined in red. Drilled hole on base for lamp, 4 character stamped Qianlong seal mark.
These tea cups have flowers painted a bit more like the original plates, more detail, more delicate. They have handwritten 6 character Xuantong marks. Sotheby’s 2019 New York.
Another delicately painted example; plate with the full range of flowers, plus some smaller sprigs as well, also on the exterior; handwritten Guangxu iron red mark.
This unmarked dish is also very well painted, has the yellow and blue flowers and a more greenish, natural tone to the leaves.
A lidded jar, unmarked, with mostly red/carmine and yellow flowers, khaki/brown leaves, and a yellow & green diaper border.
This zhadou or small spittoon has the carmine and the blue & carmine flowers, and an undecipherable mark.
A near complete set of 8 nesting bowls, average painting, just the blue and carmine flowers, with the latter on the interior as well; stamped 4 character Guangxu seal mark.
Vase with delicately drawn flowers, average enamelling, no red outline; handwritten kaishu Guangxu mark. Christies 2012, flowers described as peonies and chrysanthemums!
Another nicely done teacup, these were the only images so unsure of the flower range, but the beautiful blue one is there. Xuantong kaishu mark in iron red; Sotheby’s, London 2019.
What is notable about the grouping of similar porcelains above is their diversity, in shapes, in detailed elements, in the basemarks. These derivatives were being produced by quite a range of makers, some perhaps to order.
THE FLORA
Finding out about the meaning of these flowers has been almost fruitless. Certainly, the explanations by the top auction houses have not been helpful. For some reason which now escapes me the idea of sacred Tibetan or Himalayan flowers cropped up, but the only obvious contender in the blue poppy (Mecanopsis Aculeata or Betonicifolia, below)
The quite distinct petal shape is right – the other flowers are yet to be identified. Please write a comment if you recognise them, thanks.
I would dearly like to know why this khaki colour is so pervasive, as it is seldom used on most other Chinese porcelains of the period. The same goes for the spikey leaves!
DATING
Dating is from a combination of the enamels and range of marks – around 1880-1920 is most probable. Certainly most of the reign marks (Qianlong, Tongzhi, Guangxu and Xuantong) look good for this 1880-1920 period.
ZHANG ZHIDONG AND THE ARTS
Determining the link between Zhang Zhidong and porcelain is a little more obscure.
This man had 13 sons and at least 3 wives and concubines. He came from a good family, was comfortably off and educated well. He was also revered for his lifelong input into education – “Today’s Wuhan University, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, and Hubei Library can all be traced back to Zhang Zhidong’s cultural and educational innovations.” https://www.nfpeople.com/article/10072
On an artistic side one comes across many examples (authentic or otherwise) of his calligraphic works.
Zhang Zhidong’s Letters.
Other connections are harder to determine. Through his desire to westernise many industries, he certainly advocated, around the turn of the century, for Jingdezhen to start a new porcelain manufacturing company to compete with foreign imports of porcelain and to imitate it. This attempt and proposition, although a failure, was the first inklings of the famous Jiangxi Porcelain Company!
“Zhang Zhidong proposed the idea of setting up a porcelain company, and proposed measures such as sending people to the west to investigate the porcelain industry, studying the habits of foreigners, imitating Western-style daily-use porcelain, exempting taxes for several years, and limiting patents in Jiangxi Province for 15 years. This proposal was approved by Emperor Guangxu and the Prime Minister’s Yamen. But when the Qing government handed over the matter to Deshou, governor of Jiangxi, it was rejected.” Jiangxi Porcelain Company and Qing Dynasty Imperial Kiln Factory https://www.sohu.com/a/235406926_772402
The only other link I can make so far to Zhang Zhidong regarding porcelain is not so salubrious, but does appear to be quite common for officials and/or entrepreneurs around this time –
“In the antique market in the late Qing Dynasty, the supply of ancient ceramics was in short supply, and it was imperative that antique porcelain appeared in large numbers. To fill the gap in supply and make huge profits. The imitations of Jingdezhen folk kilns continue to flow to the Beijing antique market. “There are treasures in Sizhong, which belonged to the genus of Zunli Ding Yi and the Song Dynasty. There are imitations of the old and the Yuan and the old ones. The antique porcelain industry occupies a large share of the antique industry. Driven by huge profits, the Liuli Factory’s antique ceramics business was extremely prosperous. The purchase of fake urns from Zhang Zhidong above is not difficult to imagine. situation. In another example, Ren Yanting, manager of Yanqing Hall, sent famous kiln treasures to Jingdezhen for imitation and sold them as genuine ones. A few years later, he became one of the richest merchants in Liulichang.” Wu Mingdi & Chang Naiqing: Shocking the Past and Shining the Present——A Survey of Qing Dynasty Ceramics – 2020-03-02 19:23 Artron Art Network http://uscntv.com/yishu/30622.html
When Zhang Zhidong was living in Beijing, he organized gatherings with other court officials to study and interpret of ancient calligraphic inscriptions (epigraphy), to taste tea, discuss art – “The scribes were keen on calligraphy and painting of gold and stone, and collected and learned ancients. They often went to the market in person to entertain the city and search for one or two antiquities. Zhang Zhidong also liked this.” https://freewechat.com/a/MzIyOTQxOTkwNw==/2247486791/2
Longshu Temple is a gathering place for scholars in Beijing in late Qing Dynasty
Zhang Zhidong loved to visit the antique shops and bookshops in Liulichang, Beijing. Apparently he also had ‘art’ salesmen visit him and this may be one way he was able to order porcelain when he was no longer living in Beijing. Or, with his long stays in Wuhan, just a few hundred kilometres from Jingdezhen, may have been where the plates were ordered from.
Unfortunately, we really don’t know, and unless documentation is found, it will all remain speculative. We know that these plates were likely made in last 25 years of the Qing Dynasty. We can see from the derivative porcelains that the longevity of the pattern, even its popularity, was quite short. Nonetheless, I wanted to give the pattern and history some attention before it is lost in the seeds of time.
Best wishes,
Michaela
P.S. If anybody has any information on these porcelains please make a comment, much appreciated.
Many thanks to G.Repetti and D.Hawkes for the large images.
watersilkdragon 
