"The blossom of the plum tree in the woods leads the life of a recluse; intoxicated by space, freed from the dust of the world." Yang Wan (12th century)
Since history tends to repeat itself, the Ming Dynasty collapsed in the face of pressure from the peasant armies, whose wrath was stirred by the great feudal lords of the court. Their "savior" this time was a shepherd from southern China, Li Zicheng, who, heading an army of paupers, took over Peking (Beijing) and acceded to the throne. But just 82 days later, the Manchu troops, called in as reinforcements by the general heading the Ming forces, arrived in the city, established themselves as its occupiers, and proclaimed the accession of the Qing Dynasty. The first emperor under this dynasty was Shunzi, the last Pu-Yi...
China's grandeur would never be greater than it was under the Qing, whose expansionism brought the conquest of Mongolia, Tibet, Formosa, and regions of Ili and Turkestan, and made protectorates of Burma, Nepal, Annam, and Korea.
Since the Manchus admired Chinese culture, the artistic production of the Qing continued in the same line as that adopted by the Ming. This continuity is especially striking in the architecture of the time, with the exception of the Peking Palace. Here, in the opinion of Jacques-Edouard Berger, there is "a double tendency - relentless conservatism and a sort of enthusiastic heterogeneity," as particularly evident in the garden pavilions added by the Emperor Qianlong (18th century), sinicized versions of contemporaneous Italian Baroque.
Generally speaking, however, the Qing culture was characterized by a taste for archaeology and appropriation. And, even if a few individualistic artists did boast authentic freedom of expression, some to most flamboyant extremes, the painting of the time remained in the Classicist vein of the masters of yore.
Pottery standards had been on the decline, even before the end of the Ming period, so that pieces produced until around 1680 are of relatively mediocre execution. In 1683, the royal manufactory, which had been destroyed during the troubled past, was rebuilt; the work program was reorganized and production got under- way more intensely than ever. A great quantity of high-quality and technically masterful pieces was produced, the most beautiful of which date to the reign of Kangxi (1662-1722): "blue-and-white" ware in sapphire tones, decorated with landscapes, flowers or genre scenes; "five-color" ware, and, most typical, an extraordinary "famille verte" using a blue overglaze (to replace the underglaze blue), enamelled in a wide range of greens, with black and sometimes gold. "Monochrome" glaze wares were also all the rage, with the whites of Foukien Province contrasting with brilliant "mirror" blacks heightened with gold, intense reds ("sang de boeuf"), spotted rose-reds (peach bloom), "powdered" or "blown" [with bamboo tubes] blues - all serving as a background for gilt embellishments. A century later, the "famille verte" was replaced by the "famille rose," where dainty motifs in tender shades reveal a finely potted (eggshell) ware and the overall d esign breathes freely. All too soon, production began to target exportation to Europe. These export wares became overburdened with "exotic" subjects and themes - a trend that would intensify under the reign of Qianlong - and, in par- allel, were fancified to show off the tricks of the trade (openwork, double walls, speckled surface, excessive gilding, etc). In short, by the dawn of the 19th century, the decline of Chinese pottery had been fully accomplished.
If the Qing Period failed to leave its mark in the way of great artistic trends, it could boast a good number of minor masterpieces bearing witness to the con- summate skill of its artisans, whether it be their work with hard stones - notably, the penjing, arrangements of miniature trees and gardens - or their ivory pieces, precious embroidery, goldsmithing, or furniture.
In order to provide an overview of 6000 years of Chinese art, we were required to make a rigorous selection. Our choices were guided by the spirit behind this collection. "My dwelling place lies on the far side of the clouds, only the gulls will know where to find it." Jacques-Edouard Berger loved these lines by the poet Lu You (12th century)...
Michelle Talandier