Chinese Snuff Bottles by Clare Lawrence

        Snuff was introduced into China from European sources at the Qing dynasty (1644-1911). Tobacco from which snuff is made, is said to have arrived in Beijing from either the North of China or through European trade routes encompassing the Philippines, Japan and Korea. In contrast to tobacco leaf, snuff was regarded as a medicinal substance and was said to ‘clear the eyes, and had the property of banishing infection’ (Wang Shizhen, 1705).

        However, the predominant reason that snuff-taking became so fashionable was that it very quickly became an Imperial habit. Emulating the pretensions of the Imperial Court, the habit seeped downwards through the class, from aristocrat to scholar to merchant, until men and women throughout China partook of snuff.

So, what were the functions of snuff bottles within the Qing Court of the eighteenth century? Snuff is powdered tobacco, a drug, and very addictive, It was also socially acceptable, endorsed from its early development by a succession of emperors and, by the eighteenth century, other influential imbibers. Once the attention of the influential minority became focused on the bottle as an art form, it acquired further potential as a civilized form of bribery. Within the Chinese bureaucratic system of the Court, it was used socially and politically to curry favour, to gain audience to those in power, and to show appreciation for favours received. Those who had gained rank and prestige were able to show their superiority by dispersing snuff bottles as gifts to those their magnanimity.

Hence, the artistic production of Chinese snuff bottles was the result of a fashion that took root as the addictive habit of snuff-taking swept through the draughty corridors of power in Beijing in the late seventeenth century. At Court, snuff containers were of the highest quality, reflecting the development of the artistic endeavours of the period such as glass production. Thus, while the emperors and the Qing Court surrounded themselves with the exotic, the fanciful and the innovative, the aesthetic essence was differently defined for the scholar and again for the merchant classes.

Enamel on copper, painted with European women, Imperial with Qianlong nianzhi mark

Dentritic agate with a design of a goose in flight, 1740-1870 

Nephrite, black and white, carved with Mi Fei worshipping a rock, Suzhou School, 1740-1850  

Glass, single overlay, carved with two grass-cloaked fishermen crossing a bridge over a stream, 1740-1820 

Ivory, carved with figures in a canopied boat, Imperial, 1760-1795, Beijing

Jadeite, plain bottle, milky emerald green colour, 1800-1900

  

The Making of Dunzi

Looking like a brick, the ‘Dunzi’ is a basic measurement for the formulation of clay and glazes. The average weight of a Dunzi is about 2 kilograms, which makes it convenient for the formulation of raw materials in proportions later.

Pic 1 - The board and brick-like mould for making of Dunzi.

Pic 2 - Determining the amount of clay needed

Pic 3 - The forcing of the (chunk of) clay into the mould

Pic 4 & 5 - The removal of excess clay with a cutting wire

Pic 6 & 7 - Disassembling of the mould

Pic 8 

Pic 9 

Pic 10 

Pic 8 - Removal of the Dunzi

Pic 9&10 - The cleaning of the mould

 

Porcelain Stories: From China to Europe

Porcelain is ubiquitous in the 21st century from the crockery on our kitchen tables to the bathroom basins we wash our hands in. Nevertheless, high quality porcelain is still valued for its smooth, shiny surface, translucency, fineness and resonance. It remains a luxury good which is used for prestigious dining and fine interior ornament. Yet, for almost a thousand years, from around 600AD, the production of porcelain could only be achieved in China. The quest to replicate the Chinese model eventually led, in the 16th century, to the invention of soft-paste porcelain, under the patronage of Francesco de' Medici. However, it was not until the 18^th century, under the support of Augustus the Strong, that production of hard-paste porcelain was achieved in the West. Furthermore, industrialization and mass production of porcelain in Europe was not widespread until the 19^th century.

As well as being the best known and arguably the most beautiful product of China’s potteries, Ming porcelain was the first porcelain to arrive in bulk into Europe. The scale of the shipping trade to Europe increased dramatically in the 16^th and 17^th centuries, initially through the Portuguese and Spanish, but later via English and Dutch merchants. Such porcelain which was largely blue and white was much admired, and inspired the manufacture of copies in local inferior materials. Trade was sustained in the Qing period. Chinese enamel decorated decorated porcelains, painted in the famille rose and famille verte palette were similarly replicated and improved upon in the West. Europeans became fascinated by the Orient and a fashion for all things exotic and eastern developed.  

The above article was written by Jessica Harrison-Hall, the co-author and contributor to a number of publications by the British Museum, where she is an Assistant Keeper in the Department of Oriental Antiquities.

Jie - The Emperor Who Was Dubbed the 'Infallible' Sun

Compiled from Infamous Chinese Emperors

Thoughts of the day:

1.    Which woman played a part in Emperor Jie’s downfall?

2.    Emperor Jie was only defeated in one battle. Which one was it?

Is this jade?

Quarrying & Processing of Porcelain Clay

Porcelain stone and kaolin are important raw materials in the production of porcelain. Pocelain stone is a stony material while kaolin is a clay material. Porcelain stone is usually grayish white. Kaolin is known as porcelain clay amongst the locals. The word kaolin came from a mountain called Kaolin Mountain, which translates to high hill. It is pure white, light yellow, light grey or rose when it contains impurities. Porcelain stones and kaolin have different ingredients and origin. As such, the methods of quarrying and processing different from each other.   

After quarrying, workers usually crack the mineral into pellets the size of eggs before grinding them to fine powder in mortars using water-powered trip-stamper. The powder then goes through the process of washing, precipitating, drawing off and bodying before it is made into blocks of clay like bricks called ‘The White Dunzi’. They are then used by workshops to compound porcelain clay.  This method of processing porcelain stone has a history as long as Jingdezhen itself and is still being used today. The owners usually clear away the raw materials in mortars and wash the clay at intervals and the water-powered trip-stampers are left to run the entire day. 

 Sketch map of washing Kaolin (clay)

Pic 1 

                                                

Pic 2

           

  Pic 1&2

The main tools for quarrying the porcelain stone and porcelain clay

Flow chart of washing powdered porcelain stone to make Dunzi

Pic 3       The trip-stampers are pounding hard on different mills

Pic 4        Above – The clay bed and settling basin

                Below – The clay bed

Jingdezhen, The Capital of Porcelain

                                      

Situated in the North- Eastern part of Jiangxi Province, Jingdezhen is surrounded by famous tourist attractions such as Lushan Mountain and Huangshan Mountain. Jingdezhen enjoys favourable weather throughout the year. The annual average temperature is approximately 17 degrees Celcius. It also enjoys abundant rainfall and sunlight. This city is also quite famous for its tea. It is blessed with a great reserve of raw materials such as Kaolin and porcelain stone, 2 key ingredients for porcelain production, in its mountainous area.

The main river flowing through Jingdezhen is Changjiang River, which flows from the North to the South of the entire region and empties into the Yangtse River through Lake Poyang. The three tributaries in Jingdezhen- Rover East, River West and River South, empty into Changjiang River at different reaches. Most of the places through which the three tributes flow through are the important sources of porcelain production and fuels. Jingdezhen was called ‘Changnan Town’ as it’s situated mainly on the south of Changjiang River. It was changed to Jingdezhen during the Song dynasty. Her reputation for exquisite porcelain grew over the centuries. Today, it is known as the ‘Capital of Porcelain.’