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Production and Consumption of Chinese Enamelled Porcelain, C.1728-C.1780

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Production and Consumption of Chinese Enamelled Porcelain, C.1728-C.1780 A Thesis Submitted for the Degree of PhD at the University of Warwick Permanent WRAP URL: http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/91791 Copyright and reuse: This thesis is made available online and is protected by original copyright. Please scroll down to view the document itself. Please refer to the repository record for this item for information to help you to cite it. Our policy information is available from the repository home page. For more information, please contact the WRAP Team at: [email protected] warwick.ac.uk/lib-publications ‘The colours of each piece’: production and consumption of Chinese enamelled porcelain, c.1728-c.1780 Tang Hui A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in History University of Warwick, Department of History March 2017 Declaration I, Tang Hui, confirm that this thesis is my own work and has not been submitted for a degree at another university. Cover Illustrations: Upper: Decorating porcelain in enamel colours, Album leaf, Watercolours, c.1750s. Hong Kong Maritime Museum, HKMM2012.0101.0021(detail). Lower: A Canton porcelain shop waiting for foreign customers. Album leaf, Watercolours, c.1750s, Hong Kong Maritime Museum, HKMM2012.0101.0033(detail). Table of Contents Declaration .............................................................................................................................. 2 Table of Contents ..................................................................................................................... i List of Illustrations ................................................................................................................. iv List of Tables ......................................................................................................................... vi List of Maps .......................................................................................................................... vii List of Abbreviations ........................................................................................................... viii Currency ................................................................................................................................. ix Abstract ................................................................................................................................... x Acknowledgments .................................................................................................................. xi CHAPTER 1. Introduction ...................................................................................................... 1 1.1. Clarification of Terminology ....................................................................................... 2 1.2. Main Arguments and Objectives .................................................................................. 5 1.3. Research Context ......................................................................................................... 8 1.3.1. Enamelled Porcelain and Art History ................................................................... 9 1.3.2. Enamelled Porcelain and the Chinese Export Porcelain Trade ........................... 16 1.3.3. Enamelled Porcelain and Global History ............................................................ 24 1.4. Sources ....................................................................................................................... 28 1.4.1. Imperial Workshops Archives ............................................................................ 29 1.4.2. The English East India Company Canton Factory Records ................................ 31 1.4.3. Textual Records on Porcelain Manufacture ........................................................ 39 1.4.4. Visual Representations ........................................................................................ 42 1.5. Structure of the Thesis ............................................................................................... 47 CHAPTER 2. The Production of Enamelled Porcelain and Knowledge Transfer ................ 50 2.1. Introduction ................................................................................................................ 50 2.2. Over-glaze Porcelain Production Prior to the Eighteenth Century ............................ 51 2.3. Enamelled Porcelain Production of the Eighteenth Century ...................................... 55 2.3.1. The Enamel Workshop at the Court .................................................................... 55 2.3.2. Manufacture Process of Porcelain ....................................................................... 57 2.3.3. Manufacture Process of Enamelled Porcelain ..................................................... 65 Making Enamel Colours ............................................................................... 65 Preparing Enamel Colours ............................................................................ 67 i Applying Enamel Colours on Porcelain ........................................................ 69 Firing Process ................................................................................................ 71 2.4. Technological Innovations and Knowledge Transfer ................................................ 73 2.4.1. The Role of Qing Court ...................................................................................... 73 2.5. Interactions of Different Manufacture Sites ............................................................... 80 2.5.1. Beijing and Jingdezhen ....................................................................................... 80 2.5.2. Beijing and Canton.............................................................................................. 83 2.5.3. Jingdezhen and Canton ....................................................................................... 87 2.5.4. Techniques of Painting Enamels on Porcelain and Styles .................................. 89 Conclusion ........................................................................................................................ 95 CHAPTER 3. Enamelled Porcelain Consumption in Eighteenth-century China .................. 97 3.1. Introduction ................................................................................................................ 97 3.2. Studies on the Domestic Consumption of Chinese Porcelain .................................. 100 3.3. Methodology and Resources .................................................................................... 102 3.4. Distinctive Values of Enamelled Porcelain.............................................................. 103 3.4.1. Craftsmanship ................................................................................................... 104 3.4.2. Colour Matters .................................................................................................. 109 3.4.3. Association with ’Foreign Goods’ .................................................................... 113 3.5. Enamelled Porcelain Consumption in Eighteenth-Century China ........................... 116 3.6. Distribution of Porcelain at Jingdezhen ................................................................... 131 3.6.1. Huiguan (Trade guild, 会馆) ............................................................................ 132 3.6.2. Brokerage System ............................................................................................. 135 3.6.3. Porcelain Market in Jingdezhen ........................................................................ 140 3.6.4. Routes of Porcelain Transportation ................................................................... 144 3.7. Conclusion ............................................................................................................... 150 CHAPTER 4. Early Eighteenth-century EEIC Porcelain Trade in Canton 1729-c.1740 ... 151 4.1. Introduction .............................................................................................................. 151 4.2. The EEIC’s Porcelain Trade .................................................................................... 154 4.2.1. The EEIC in Canton .......................................................................................... 154 4.2.2. The EEIC’s Porcelain Trade ............................................................................. 158 4.3. The EEIC’s Enamelled Porcelain Trade 1729-c.1740 ............................................. 162 4.4. Private Trade of Enamelled Porcelain ..................................................................... 167 4.5. Conclusion ............................................................................................................... 173 CHAPTER 5. Porcelain Trade at Canton 1740-1760 ......................................................... 174 ii 5.1. Introduction .............................................................................................................. 174 5.2. The Fluctuating Trade of Blue and White Porcelain ............................................... 175 5.3. The Steady Growth of Enamelled Porcelain Trade.................................................. 181 5.4. Enamelling Porcelain Locally at Canton? ................................................................ 185 5.5. Conclusion ............................................................................................................... 193 CHAPTER 6. A New Context of Porcelain Trade 1760-1770
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