Lot Essay
This painting illustrates the processes involved in the production of porcelain; the fictional view bringing together in one picture activities which would have been separated in time and place. The main stages are the digging of the clay in the mountains (upper left); breaking up the clay with the use of a waterwheel (left of centre); adding water to make it malleable; shaping and modelling the clay
(right of centre); glazing the porcelain; firing the porcelain in conical kilns (centre); decorating the porcelain; firing the decorated porcelain (lower centre right); hauling the porcelain in tubs over the mountains; displaying the finished articles in a shop and packing it in tubs for transportation to Canton and on to the West (lower right). Note that the tubs illustrated here were the type used by East India Companies for shipping porcelain as kentledge back to Europe.
In the production of porcelain Chinese potters combined an early mastery of complex techniques with the good fortune of having quantities of near-perfect raw materials at hand. Begining as early as the 11th century, China developed special wares to suit the tastes of markets in South East Asia, Africa, the Middle East and latterly Europe and America.
Pictures of the various trades in China such as the manufacture of porcelain, the production of silk and the cultivation of tea were very popular with Westerners in the late 18th and early 19th century. They explained the process that went into the production of sought-after commodities made for export, providing a fascinating record for the foreigner. They were mainly painted in watercolour and had a popular appeal over pictures painted in oil due to their convenient size and relatively low price. Often they were painted in sets and bound for sale in albums. A fine example of a set of porcelain trade watercolours dated circa 1820, exists in the collection of the Peabody Museum in Salem. In some cases, the theme can be found in wallpaper. A comparable illustration of the processing of porcelain can be found in the wallpaper which Lord Macartney gave to Thomas Coutts in 1794 and which is now in Coutt's Bank in the Strand.
Pictures painted in oil of the trades are, however, very rare. After the 1780's they were usually painted by watercolourists and clearly derive in style from the watercolour sets . The theme of the production of porcelain is considered the most interesting with every step of the process being recorded. Although the artist gave a generally faithful rendering of the actual techniques involved, the settings were in general, romantically idealized and unrealistic. The imaginary landscape in this picture is far removed from the realities of Jingdezhen, the vast porcelain producing centre a few hundred miles north of Canton where thousands of labourers worked in primitive workshops.
A smaller version of this picture exists in the collection of Inchcape PLC. See Patrick Conner, The China Trade, 1982, pl.82.
(right of centre); glazing the porcelain; firing the porcelain in conical kilns (centre); decorating the porcelain; firing the decorated porcelain (lower centre right); hauling the porcelain in tubs over the mountains; displaying the finished articles in a shop and packing it in tubs for transportation to Canton and on to the West (lower right). Note that the tubs illustrated here were the type used by East India Companies for shipping porcelain as kentledge back to Europe.
In the production of porcelain Chinese potters combined an early mastery of complex techniques with the good fortune of having quantities of near-perfect raw materials at hand. Begining as early as the 11th century, China developed special wares to suit the tastes of markets in South East Asia, Africa, the Middle East and latterly Europe and America.
Pictures of the various trades in China such as the manufacture of porcelain, the production of silk and the cultivation of tea were very popular with Westerners in the late 18th and early 19th century. They explained the process that went into the production of sought-after commodities made for export, providing a fascinating record for the foreigner. They were mainly painted in watercolour and had a popular appeal over pictures painted in oil due to their convenient size and relatively low price. Often they were painted in sets and bound for sale in albums. A fine example of a set of porcelain trade watercolours dated circa 1820, exists in the collection of the Peabody Museum in Salem. In some cases, the theme can be found in wallpaper. A comparable illustration of the processing of porcelain can be found in the wallpaper which Lord Macartney gave to Thomas Coutts in 1794 and which is now in Coutt's Bank in the Strand.
Pictures painted in oil of the trades are, however, very rare. After the 1780's they were usually painted by watercolourists and clearly derive in style from the watercolour sets . The theme of the production of porcelain is considered the most interesting with every step of the process being recorded. Although the artist gave a generally faithful rendering of the actual techniques involved, the settings were in general, romantically idealized and unrealistic. The imaginary landscape in this picture is far removed from the realities of Jingdezhen, the vast porcelain producing centre a few hundred miles north of Canton where thousands of labourers worked in primitive workshops.
A smaller version of this picture exists in the collection of Inchcape PLC. See Patrick Conner, The China Trade, 1982, pl.82.