Pastel Porcelain: Witnessing the History of Cultural Exchange between China and the West

- Apr 16, 2018-

During the Qianlong period, the porcelains of the Qianlong period were extremely unique, whether it was blue and white flowers, dou Cai, pastels, foreign colors, or bionic porcelain. Pastel is the mainstream of Qianlong porcelain, often embossing, ticking, painting, opening, color glaze, hollowing, plastic, gold and other decorative techniques on a device. It should be said that during the Qianlong period, the pastels inherited the porcelain style of the Yongzheng period and were decorated with elegance, as well as heavy colors and icing on the cake. From the decorative style of this porcelain, it is not difficult to see the decorative relics of Yongzheng porcelain. In addition, the Imperial Palace Office of the Interior Department of the Qing Emperor Qianlong recorded many of the historical facts of the imperial porcelain of Jingdezhen during the Qianlong period. The Qianlong Emperor preferred the decoration of Maomei Fenhua, and used the objects, shapes, and patterns of some pastel artifacts. The request often has a purpose. Before the production, there must be a picture or a wood sample. After the review, it can be officially fired. The knowledge of the artifacts, whether it is available or not, what kind of knowledge to write, and the verses that are used to match the pattern must be approved by the Emperor Qianlong. At that time, the Tokio official Tang Ying produced exquisite palace porcelain on the one hand according to the emperor's will. On the other hand, on the basis of preserving the essence of his predecessors, he also absorbed some Western craft techniques and created many new pastel porcelain. .

Pastel is one of the varieties of glaze, also called "soft color." It draws on the use of powder and rendering techniques in Chinese paintings, with rich colors and soft and elegant colors. This porcelain is rich in color, beautiful, and soon won the favor of the kings and nobles of the Qing Dynasty, of which the official kiln pastel porcelain is most favored by collectors.

This bottle of small mouth, short neck, abundance shoulders, thin bottom, ring foot, smooth lines, plump, pretty modeling, pretty, whole body painted pastel flowers, bright colors, flowers, magnificent, like the elegant and noble.

The overall layout is rich and dense. The shades of shades change elegantly. Pastel is an innovative species evolved from Dou Cai during the Qian Long period. The painting process is complicated and the firing process is extremely difficult. However, the color of the porcelain that was created is richer and more colorful, and is thus deeply influenced by Emperor Qianlong. favorite. This bottle is not only elegantly shaped, magnificent, and the painter and color are outstanding, it represents the highest level of craftsmanship of the Imperial porcelain bottle during the Qianlong era.

This product is noble and elegant, glazed and beautiful, highlighting the incomparable artistic charm, rare degree must be respected by the world, its most academic value and artistic value, that is, its appearance is rich in Qianlong Chaoyang porcelain The physical data confirms the records of the literature about the Qianlong Chaoyang Caisheng and restores a nearly forgotten glorious history. Its appearance has opened a new trend in the history of Chinese ceramics craftsmanship and witnessed the historical grand occasion of cultural exchange between China and the West. The incredible confidence and supreme taste of an age-old emperor is extremely valuable!

Market analysis

With the improvement of people's living standards and the development of art appreciation, more and more people are investing their funds in the art market. In the entire collection market, the Qing Dynasty officials’ kiln has always been favored by the market. Pastel color was burned in the late Kangxi period, and it flourished during the Yongzheng period. Because the pastel colors of pastel porcelain are brighter and brighter, the portraits are more vivid and vivid, and they have fewer uploads. Therefore, they have long been the favourite collections that are second only to the enamel and favored by collectors, especially the pastel porcelain of the painted figures. More rare. In the pastel porcelain that appeared on the auction market in recent years, the top 10 of the transaction price were almost Qianlong Pastel, which shows its exquisite and sought after degree. However, the official kiln porcelain of Kangxigan has a clear possession pass, and the sky-high auction price will only be produced in it.

In recent years, the three generations of Qing porcelain have become one of the hottest sought-after objects in the Chinese art market, and their presence has often appeared in the art auction market, and the transaction price has reached record highs. At the 2002 Sotheby's Hong Kong Spring Auction, a Yongzheng Pastel Dome Olive Pear bottle was sold for more than HK$40 million, which was the highest price for the Qing Dynasty porcelain auction; at the Sotheby’s Hong Kong auction in October 2005 A Qing Dynasty Qianlong emperor's imperial system of "Qianlong Qiang Cai" Gu Yuexuan "poems and flowers Jinjin map amphora" finally traded at 110.48 million Hong Kong dollars, the highest price of the Qing Dynasty porcelain.