Plaques Portraying Late Porcelain Production in Jingdezhen

Abstract

Although there are many illustrations of porcelain production in Jingdezhen before the mid-nineteenth Century, late handcrafted porcelain production scenes are unknown. Here, I describe a recently discovered set of seventeen handcrafted porcelain plaques datable from the end of the nineteenth to the first part of the twentieth century which fill in that gap. These plaques are unique in that they are three dimensional, carved rather than molded, and sagger production is emphasized, a characteristic not found on earlier depictions. Furthermore, Chinese script on each plaque describes the step(s) of porcelain production portrayed. In summary, these plaques are not only additive to previous depictions of Jingdezhen porcelain production but historically significant in that they portray a later date than those described earlier.