SingartA Global History Through China
Chinese porcelain was so historically esteemed in Europe that in the English language, ‘china’ became a commonly used synonym for the Franco-Italian term ‘porcelain’. Insatiable European demand inspired many in this continent to attempt to recreate it too, albeit unsuccessfully for many years.
And it was only in the 1700s that great breakthroughs were made: in the German state of Saxony, Ehrenfried Walther von Tschirnhaus produced a hard, white, translucent porcelain by combining ingredients that included kaolin clay from China and alabaster from a Saxon mine in Colditz. This was shortly followed by French Jesuit father Francois Xavier d’Entrecolles’ revelation of what he had read and witnessed in China concerning the manufacturing of this highly prized earthenware.
Yet this snippet of Europe’s obsession with this fine china is but a drop in the oceans of cross-continental interactions that had factually taken place in global history: Dr Alan Chong, Director of the Asian Civilisations Museum (ACM) elaborates, ‘The desire for porcelain has played a crucial role in many cultures around the world… (as it) was thin, beautifully decorated, and extremely durable… Porcelain was (also) fashioned into many different shapes and decorated according to the tastes of consumers… (all brought about by) creative exchanges produced by trade.’
Hence, ACM’s current exhibition, “China Mania!” brings together the best of export porcelain between the 9th and 20th centuries to show how global demand and foreign efforts to mimic the Chinese craft inadvertently affected porcelain’s designs and craftsmanship, along with the resultant shift in technical sophistication, innovation and adaptation through history that resulted in the cross-cultural knowledge transfer of china-making expertise.
These effects are evident in the “Incense Burner” assembled in Europe during the 18th century: its Chinese porcelain horse, made in the Kangxi reign, is modeled onto a green-glazed base that imitates grass. Above it are 2 Japanese lacquer bowls set rim to rim: inside is a metal tray meant to hold burning incense, which would escape through the openings in the ring.
In turn, all these parts are held together by gilded bronze mounts, which are probably made in France during the European Baroque and Rococo periods, when fantasies that blended objects from different cultures and mixed the natural with the man-made were the height of fashion.
A simpler version of this blending of East and West is evident in the nearly mid 1700s’ “Pair Of Mounted Jars”: while their special powder blue glaze was indicative of its application during Qianlong’s reign in the Qing dynasty, their elaborate gilded bronze mounts were only added after the porcelain pieces had arrived in France.
The “Platter: Tobacco Leaf & An Immortal”, also from the 18th century, is another fine example of cross-cultural ‘pollination’. When it was 1st shipped to Portugal from China, Europeans referred to its overlapping foliage as tobacco leaves. But in reality, it was modeled after a Southeast Asian plant.
Then there is the “Jar” recovered from 15th century Northern Vietnam. It showed that Vietnamese artists had interpreted Chinese ceramics in a free and easy manner: they covered the stoneware with fish with delightful personalities, lively expressions and as specialized hybrids.
Moreover, 1 of its catch from the sea looks like a makara – the mythical aquatic beast found in much Southeast Asian art. Yet, the style with which all the aquatic animals were painted had been drawn from that used in Chinese porcelain during the Yuan dynasty in 13th-and-14th-century China.
Even then, the world outside of the Middle Kingdom was not the only ones who had gained: Chinese craftsmen were also keenly motivated to adapt and apply foreign techniques to their wares. This can be seen through the exquisite cobalt-blue glazing inspired by the Middle East, and the later creative inclusion of vivid colours as aroused by an interest in things Japanese.
The results reaped included specially commissioned works by countries outside of China, as exemplified by the late 19th century “Set of 3 Bowls” and the almost mid 1700s’ “Charger With Coat Of Arms”. The bowls’ Persian inscriptions testified to whom they belonged – Prince Zill al-Sultan, the son of Shah Nasir of Iran and governor of Isfahan, while the lavishly decorated plate shows the arms of Leake Okeover intersected with the arms of his wife, Mary Nichols: both resident in Britain.
Chinese exports to Southeast Asia are highlighted by the 16th or 17th century “Dish With Arabic Inscriptions”. They showcase the mass-produced Zhangzhou porcelain produced in the Fujian province for Java and Sumatra.
That to Japan and South Asia is set by the 16th century “Ewer In The Form Of A Dancing Woman”, as 6 similar ewers were also found in the possession of the Mughal emperor Jahangir around 1600 and in old Japanese collections.
Their common place during meals with tea ceremonies in Japan is also denoted by the “Set Of 5 Boar-Shaped Dishes”. Found to date to the early 1600s, they are called mukozuke, in Japanese, or ‘placed to the side’ and kosumetsuke or ‘old blue and white’.
Yet while Asian, and particularly Chinese manufacturers, were early leaders in the production of fine ceramics, interaction and competition for markets eventually forced them to alter their wares to suit changing market tastes and trends, as well as keep abreast with the ever changing designs and colours offered outside of Asia by manufacturers who drew new inspiration from non-Asian sources.
The “Boar’s Head Tureen With Stand”, dating to the 1760s in China, is also due to such a result. It is modeled after European ceramics that 1st came out of Strasbourg in France around the 1750s. These large soup tureens in the shapes of animals became highly popular in Europe in the 2nd half of the 18th century and featured the animals that were part of the continent’s dietary preferences; like geese, ducks, chickens, fish and boars.
This creative impact on sculpting porcelain can be seen in the previously mentioned “Set Of 5 Boar-Shaped Dishes” as well. Their Japanese technical influence is also clear: the rims along these dishes have a rustic appearance that come from fritting the glaze along them, an effect known as mushikui, or ‘moth eaten’.
Even then, these highlighted artifacts have just touched the impact globalized trading and the exchange of ideas at the tip of their iceberg. To gain deeper insight into the true extent the world had been manic about china, view the over 180 rare and, some, never-before-seen exhibits from China, Vietnam, Japan, the Middle East and Europe.
“China Mania!: The Global Passion for Porcelain, 800-1900” is on show at the Asian Civilisations Museum, at 1 Empress Place, Singapore 179555 till 14 December this year.
Feature photo: “Pair Of Mounted Jars”
Right photo: “Incense Burner”
Photo credits: Asian Civilisations Museum
