To understand the "Made in China" during the Ming and Qing dynasties, the heraldic porcelain favored by European and American celebrities is an interesting point, which is a porcelain printed with a family coat of arms, which prevailed in the 16~18th century. These coats of arms are the coat of arms of European and American nobles, born in the 12th century battlefield shields, originally used to distinguish between enemies and friends, printed on porcelain as "customized" marks.
These heraldic porcelain made in China is exported to Europe and the United States, with exquisite appearance and high price, and is a precious luxury belonging to the upper elite of Europe and the United States. For a long time, these porcelains were not found in the country. After 2005, China began to pay more attention to these rare porcelains. In 2019, Tianjin Museum went overseas for the first time to purchase more than 200 pieces of Qing Dynasty export porcelain, and it was first launched in Tianjin Museum on October 1, 2019. At present, the "Melting Light of the Sea of Sails - Special Exhibition of Heraldic Porcelain from the Collection of Chinese Export in the Tianjin Museum", which brings together 168 pieces of porcelain, is on display at the Yunnan Provincial Museum.
Today, it takes less than 40 days to travel from Guangzhou to Liverpool, UK, one way. In the 18th century, it took two or three years to make a round trip.
At that time, a British gold owner who wanted heraldic porcelain fired in China first needed to draw a base map with a heraldic emblem. The British crew would take the ticket to Guangzhou, hand it over to a local porcelain dealer, and finally send it to Jingdezhen. When the merchant ship returned, it would load the porcelain from Guangzhou back to England.
This seemingly simple "daigou" process is actually expensive and has many details.
Starting from the carrier of the basemap, the library ticket (usually attached to the title page of the book, will carry the name of the collector, etc., to beautify the small prints that decorate the book) is the most convenient and simple basemap carrier, and a private coat of arms can be drawn on it.
If the basemap had been depicted by a dedicated designer, the final cost could have been as high as £1 (at the time, the average British crew was paid £10 a year; Before the Opium War, 1 pound was exchanged for 3 taels of silver, and the Qing Dynasty seven-grade official was 45 taels of silver per year), and the production cost was 10 times the custom cost of ordinary heraldic porcelain and nearly 100 times the cost of bulk daily porcelain (the Guangzhou Museum has a collection of a custom heraldic porcelain soup plate of the Occhiov family, which can be called the most heraldic porcelain).
The peculiarity of private customization is that the demand for heraldic porcelain is not directly entrusted to the general trading company. In the 17th century, after the advent of the Age of Exploration, sea routes and trade patterns were established, and Chinese porcelain really sold well overseas. In 1600 and 1602, the "East India Company" of England and the Netherlands was established to buy tea, porcelain, spices, etc. in Asia.
The British East India Company and others dealt in commodities, and the details of private customization were cumbersome, and initially only employee benefits of trading companies. In 1727, the average crew of the British East India Company earned only £10 a year, and once engaged in private trade, they could earn £2,000 on a trip. Driven by lucrative profits, the executives or crew of trading companies went from customizing for their families to later helping relatives and friends "buy".
Chinese porcelain was once a "high-tech" product in the world, and there was never a competitor. When Kang, Yong, and Qian's export porcelain first arrived in England, the British had neither seen nor known how they were made. Foreign alchemists have long cracked the firing method and could not, and in the early Qing Dynasty, China's sea ban and other policies were promoted, and porcelain such as Japanese "Imari porcelain" and German Mason porcelain imitated Chinese craftsmanship began to appear before joining the competition.
"Jingdezhen Taolu" recorded: "Foreign ware is exclusively sold to foreigners, and many Guangdong people are sold to the market with foreign devils." "Porcelain was custom-made according to the requirements of Western buyers, initially Jingdezhen porcelain kiln products, and later these porcelains formed a new production model: the production of plain porcelain in Jingdezhen, adding color in Guangzhou or overseas, called "guangcai porcelain".
The 168 pieces of porcelain in this exhibition are displayed in three units: the first unit "Porcelain Road Sea Trade": a brief introduction to the origin and customization process of China's export heraldic porcelain; The second unit, "Fine Ware of the Family", focuses on the inheritance combination of heraldic coats of arms and the function of heraldic porcelain exported from China; The third unit "Beauty and Harmony": Using porcelain trim as the starting point, it focuses on the mutual learning, exchange and integration of Chinese and foreign cultures.
As mentioned earlier, in this exhibition at the Yunnan Museum, there is a large number of porcelain ordered by the captains of the East India Company.
Qianlong Guangcai Colbrook family heraldic cream pot
The piece was custom-made by James Colbrooke and Mary Hudson, whose sons became ambassadors, barons, and chairman of the East India Company, respectively.
Qing Yongzheng Guangcai Dutch family heraldic plate
This piece of porcelain was custom-made by the son of the president of the Dutch East India Company and features the Thuman family crest.
Qianlong Guangcai Clark family heraldic sauce bowl, tray
This piece of porcelain imitates silverware with a three-dimensional relief effect along the mouth. Captain Charles Clark, who sailed with the famous Captain Cook in 1768 and 1772.
Qing Jiaqing Guangcai dragon pattern Gilbert family heraldic coffee cup
The porcelain was custom-made by Edmond William Gilbert, commander of the Royal Navy, whose brother was an admiral of the East India Company.
Qianlong colorful floral pattern Fisher family heraldic plate
This piece of porcelain was custom-made by Benjamin Fisher, captain of the East India Company's merchant ship "Drake", and the coat of arms is at the bottom of the plate, which is very special.
Qing Daoguang Alum red glaze "Red Wanderer" heraldic teacup and tray
Custom-made for the maiden voyage of the famous clipper "Red Rover", this fast sailing ship broke the sailing record of the time, and it took only 86 days to travel between Kolkata and Guangzhou, India, ushering in a new era of trade.
In addition to East India Company executives, some British and American dignitaries are also very fond of, including some famous figures.
Qianlong Qinghua Mitchell family heraldic plate
This set of heraldic porcelain trims is designed in the style of Faith Hill. U.S. President George Washington was so fond of it that in 1784 he ordered a similar set of heraldic porcelain.
Qianlong Qingqianlong Guangcai Jennings family heraldic plate
The plate, bearing the coat of arms of the marriage of the Hammer family and the Jennings family, was once in the possession of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.
Qianlong Qingqianlong Guangcai heraldic pattern flower mouth plate
William Alexander, Lord "Stirling", an important military leader in the American Revolutionary War (leading the U.S. Army in the Northern Army), customized this set of porcelain from China around 1770.
David Howard's book "Chinese Heraldic Porcelain" contains more than 3,000 pieces of heraldic porcelain plates exported from China during the Qing Dynasty. Most of the heraldic porcelain in the exhibition of the Tianjin Museum came from David Howard's collection during his lifetime, and was sold by his widow.
David Howard is known as the "father of the study of heraldic porcelain in China". According to his statistics, in the 18~early 19th century, the number of custom porcelain in Europe was "more than 5,000 kinds", of which about 60% was sold to the United Kingdom, mainly owned by the British royal family, nobles and companies, and the customized patterns were mainly family coat of arms or company trade name patterns. As the largest importer of heraldic porcelain, the UK has an average of two sets of heraldic porcelain per week, more than ten times more than any other country.
In addition to more than 200 pieces of export porcelain collected by the Tianjin Museum, the Guangzhou Museum also has more than 1,000 pieces of collections, including the marriage of King Karl III of Sweden, the marriage of Catherine the Great of Russia, members of the famous Newton family of British scientists, and royal families and nobles of the Netherlands, Britain, Sweden, the United States and other royal families and nobles customized heraldic porcelain.
At present, major museums in China are continuously introducing heraldic porcelain.
The motifs on heraldic porcelain have both the long-term unchanged family and personal identity information, as well as the evolution of design styles.
In her book "From East to West: The British Market Customizing the Chinese Heraldic Porcelain Trade", Angela Howard pointed out the general rules of heraldic porcelain design, through the coat of arms in the shape of a shield, can indicate the identity of the holder, marital status, and information about ancestors and heirs. That is, the coat of arms is not just a family crest, but a manifestation of personally identifiable information, and no two people will use the same coat of arms.
The coat of arms first embodies the family information, and the complete family coat of arms can only be used by the heir to the heraldic of the heraldic alone, that is, the legal heir of the family. Previously, the coats of arms between father and son brothers and different branches of the family were all different, and were called "distinguishing coats of arms".
The "distinguishing coat of arms" is distinguished primarily by the heir mark used in the coat of arms. In the British region, for example, the eldest son in the family is marked with a three-spike horizontal strip, the second son uses a crescent moon, the third son uses a five-pointed star, the fourth son uses a footless finch, the fifth son uses a ring, the sixth son uses an iris flower, and the seventh son uses a rose.
Qianlong Guangcai Stephens family heraldic plate
This piece of porcelain was custom-made by the second son of the Stephens family, and the heraldic shield has a crescent-shaped distinguishing symbol to indicate the status of the "second son".
There is also a difference between the coat of arms when single and after marriage. If a man and a woman are married, their coats of arms are placed side by side in shields. However, if the woman is not the heir to the heraldic coat of arms, the descendants of the two inherit only the father's coat of arms.
Qing Yongzheng Guangcai Floral pattern Best family heraldic plate
This plate, which is used to serve rice and meat dishes, was customized by the marriage of George Best and Sarah Crook, and the coat of arms is composed of two pieces, left and right. The couple's daughter also customized a set when she got married.
Qianlong Qinglong blue and white Pisgoth family coat of arms octagonal disk
Sir George Pistgoth and Miss Lange married in 1774. On the edge of the porcelain plate, there are Adam wall decorations imitating the neoclassical style.
Source: "Guangzhou Customized - Guangzhou Museum Collection of Qing Dynasty Chinese Export Heraldic Porcelain"
Two pieces of heraldic porcelain custom-made by the British Bookey family in the Guangzhou Museum depict both single and married.
In addition, if the woman is the heir to the coat of arms, then her coat of arms will appear in a small model, placed in the middle of the southern shield.
Another special situation arises, that is, due to the lack of communication in the customization process, the Chinese craftsmen do not understand the content of the European order, but draw the wrong image on the plate and keep it, which is very rare.
A custom-made heraldic plate of the Ross family in England
The family coat of arms should be a white lion on a red background, but it was mistaken by Chinese craftsmen for a red lion on a white background, because the reference book ticket is black and white, and there may be unclear notes.
In 1738, Charles Ross formed the wrong red lion on a white background. After 12 years (1750), James Ross corrected the correct family coat of arms when he came back to customize.
Qing Kangxi multicolored Summers family heraldic plate
This custom-made porcelain plate by Justice John Summers, with the "sun" on the edge of the plate, which is supposed to be the crest of the coat of arms of another family (the Walker family), was mistakenly painted by craftsmen on a custom-made porcelain plate by the Chancellor.
The pattern design style of heraldic porcelain has also seen some significant changes in the early and late stages. For example, since the Yongzheng period, pastels have gradually occupied the mainstream, replacing the previous blue and flowers; The family coat of arms of early heraldic porcelain was mostly placed on the edge of the plate, without changing the original overall ornamental layout, and only gradually placed in the center position in the later period, and there was a large amount of white space.
Qianlong Qingqianlong Guangcai Danish family heraldic pattern flower plate
This piece is in the shape of an imitation silver platter, customized by Mr. Hermert, a Danish justice and shareholder of the East India Company. At the end of the 18th century, under the influence of neoclassicism, the export of heraldic porcelain trim developed towards simplicity.
In terms of the image source of auxiliary ornaments, in the early days, Chinese potters played freely, and the patterns were mostly Chinese. After that, Western customers made higher demands, including the provision of drawings.
As heraldic porcelain entered a mature period, the cheaper "pseudo-heraldic porcelain" also became popular. The "pseudo-heraldry" pattern is simple and lacks the elaborate decoration of a true heraldic pattern. In the late 18th century, this pseudoheraldic style sold to the United States became very popular.
Qingqianlong Guangcai American custom imitation heraldic coffee cup
This American-custom-made "pseudoheraldic porcelain", without a family crest, impersonates a noble coat of arms.
In the long history of Sino-Western exchanges, heraldic porcelain eventually became a carrier of culture. The small custom-made coat of arms reflects an inseparable world formed since the Age of Exploration.
Exhibition Strategy:
As the epitome of cultural exchange between China and the West, heraldic porcelain differs from other types of export porcelain with a strong family and personal style, which helps to understand how "Made in China" during the Ming and Qing dynasties influenced the lifestyle and aesthetic orientation of British and European people as a whole.
Exhibition Location: Yunnan Provincial Museum 3rd Floor Exhibition Hall "Tianjin Museum Collection of Chinese Export Heraldic Porcelain Special Exhibition"
Exhibition time: May 18, 2023 ~ August 18, 2023
Recommended Video 1:
Station B account "Guangdong Provincial Museum": Expert Guide Series (1) Chinese export porcelain in the 17th and 18th centuries
Recommended Video 2:
Station B account "Fudan Cloud Shuxiang Lecture Hall": Reproduction and Integration: 16th-18th Century Chinese Export Porcelain and Cross-cultural Exchange Professor Liu Zhaohui, Department of Cultural Relics and Museology, Fudan University
Resources:
Zhang Chi "Imagination in a Teacup"
Wang Ping, "The Pattern Layout and Image Source of Heraldic Porcelain: Taking Heraldic Porcelain Sold to England in the 18th Century as an Example"
Le Suna, China Collection, January 2018, "When Western Life Meets Oriental Love"
Guangzhou Museum Edited "Guangzhou Customized - Guangzhou Museum Collection of Qing Dynasty Chinese Export Heraldic Porcelain"
Image | Anfujian
Typesetting | Xiao Xie
Design | Zi Tong