The sixty-year reign of the Qing emperor Kangxi is widely considered to have begun a golden age in the long tradition of Chinese ceramic production.
After the chaos of the fall of the earlier Ming Dynasty, Kangxi brought in an era of great prosperity. With that new wealth there was a renaissance in the arts, including in porcelain production. Among the great achievements in porcelain were the polychrome enamelled wares we call famille-verte, or green family. These wares were a refinement of earlier Wucai, or five-coloured wares, and at their best, achieved a level of beauty and technical virtuosity that has obsessed collectors in the West for over 300 years. Beyond their beauty through symbolism and pun rebuses the wares typically convey some meaning; perhaps a wish for good health, longevity, happiness or success in passing the imperial exams and going on to a prosperous civil service career.
In addition, some more elaborate pieces depict scenes from stories taken from Chinese history, mythology or religion. These stories have only recently been deciphered, and their understanding can provide a real insight into traditional Chinese culture, still relevant today.
Based on woodblock prints, the porcelain painters interpreted the scenes on porcelain surfaces and with the colourful, brilliant and translucent enamels of famille-verte. The virtuosity of the painting of the best can be comparable to that of the Dutch Masters, with amazing detail and expressiveness.
These masterpieces of Chinese art have now begun to be fully appreciated by Chinese collectors and hence their demand has greatly increased.
My recently published book written in conjunction with Cynthia Volk illustrates a number of such masterpieces of Chinese porcelain and interprets the meanings and stories that served as a source of inspiration. The book features over 100 pieces of exceptional Kangxi porcelain from my collection.
I have been collecting for over 40 years following in the footsteps of such notable Kangxi porcelain collectors in the West as J. P. Morgan, John D. Rockefeller Jr, George Salting, and Lord William Lever. Kangxi porcelain collecting in the West started at the end of the 17th century with among others Queen Mary of England, Louis XIV of France, and Augustus the Strong, Elector of Saxony and King of Poland who also suffered from “La Maladie de Porcelaine”.
‘A Culture Revealed: Kangxi-Era Chinese Porcelain from the Jie Rui Tang Collection' is available from Tai Yip Bookshop in Hong Kong.
ISBN:978-0-692-92842-4
See also:
‘Famille Verte Chinese Porcelain In Green Enamels’ by Christiaan Jorg;
ISBN: 978-90-8586-589-6
