Recreating western imagery : European influence on the designs of Chinese enamel wares with western figures in the Qianlong period (1736-1795)

Abstract

During the Qianlong period(1736-1795), Canton and court artisans manufactured copper-based and porcelainbased painted enamels with European figures. As a result of exoticism, the Qianlong emperor wanted to obtain these enamels. He imported some enamels from Europe and requested court and Canton artisans to make other enamels for him. Regarding the imperial taste as the highest artistic standard in China, Chinese elites also began to collect enamels. European consumers also liked the Chinese taste and wanted to have Chinese-made enamels with Western imagery, leading to the enamels becoming popular at the Qing Palace and in both the domestic and international art markets. Previous research on these Chines painted enamels has focused on transforming styles and craftsmanship. However, scholarly studies rarely discuss how Western imagery influenced Chinese enamel production and how Chinese artisans and patrons transferred Western imagery into a Chinese framework of cultural understanding. The first part of the thesis mainly studies the designs of enamels made in the imperial workshops for Qianlong as well as designs made in Canton for other Chinese patrons. The second part of the thesis investigates the designs of enamels made in Canton for European patrons. For all these examples, the design elements include the shapes of the objects, the origins and dissemination of the Western images that were painted on the objects, and the symbolism and meanings that the images carried in both China and Europe. The thesis argues that instead of merely imitating Western imagery, Chinese artisans and patrons chose to recreate the imagery, varying the original images to apply new meanings with traditional Chinese values and auspicious meanings. In addition, when European buyers commissioned Canton artisans to create enamels with Western imagery, they wanted to have the Western imagery in a Chinese style.