2021 No.3
Event: Online Conference “The Interaction between Enamel in the Qing Dynasty and Europe” Online Conference

Organizer: Centre national de la recherche scientifique & Institut national des sciences humaines et sociales, France and The Palace Museum

Date: 27–29 October, 2021

The Export of Canton Enamel to the Middle East and India
Speaker: Prof. Xu Xiaodong (Associate Director of Art Museum, Programme Director of RPCAA, CUHK)
 
Since the end of the 17th century, with the prosperous maritime trade in Asia, Armenians, Parsees, Muslims, Indians, and Jews had come to Guangzhou and used their trading network with Europe and Asia to conduct the Country Trade. Among these, the trade with Guangzhou through India and Batavia is of paramount importance. One of the commodities in the trade is the Canton enamel specially made for India or the Middle East market. It was found that most of the surviving Canton enamels are made of locally popular metalware or glassware, such as handled ewers, rose watering cans, and areca nut boxes; some of the designs are based on the shape of European silverware, such as large plates, but more often with traditional Chinese pattern decorations. This can reflect the users’ concerns on the practical functions and the compatibility of various cultural factors. The exotic decorations can also demonstrate the connection between the users and distant regions. Except for the enamels with inscriptions indicating that they are customized for someone, the rest might be some general products provided by Guangzhou for the Middle East and Indian markets.
 
Chinese imagination? The Western Characters on the Canton Enamel in the Qing Dynasty Discussing the Painted Enamel of the Qing Palace
Speaker: Dr. Chow Ying-ching, Joyce (Postdoctoral Fellow of Art Museum, CUHK)
 
The images of Western characters on the Canton enamel, regardless of the theme and character style, are more diverse and more creative than those of the same type in the Qing palace. Since the Qianlong period, images of Western characters started to appear on the painted enamel, which should be in response to the needs of the Emperor Qianlong. The characters on the enamel have their own style and the theme is limited to a few patterns that can echo Chinese images. The images of Canton enamel are more diverse in response to market needs. It is speculated that Canton craftsmen created Western character with a strong Chinese style after absorbing the characteristics of the Westerners at that time. Similar to the "Chinese style" characters created by the Europeans in the same period based on their cognition, this kind of Western image created by the craftsmen can be described as Chinese "Western style".
Back to Issue
Eulogies:Mourning Professor Yu Ying-shih, the Great Intellectual Historian, Former Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Doctor of Laws, honoris causa of CUHK
Eulogies: In Memoriam Professor Yu Ying-shih (in Chinese only)
Eulogies: In Memoriam Leon Vandersmeersch
News: ICS Luncheon 2021 (I)
News: ICS Luncheon 2021 (II)
News: Ceremony for the Golden Jubilee of the Art Museum
News: Southbound Intellectuals and Their Legacy: Lingnan Literati’s Contribution to a Century of Hong Kong Education
News: ICS Welcoming Session for Visiting Scholars
News: ICS Public Lecture “Three Teachings”: Confucianism, Daoism and Buddhism
Event: Art Museum “The Bei Shan Tang Legacy: Chinese Painting”
News: Art Museum “Artistic Confluence in Guangdong: Selected Painting and Calligraphy from Ming to Mid-Qing China” (Collection of the Art Museum, CUHK) (Phase II: Qing Dynasty)
News: Art Museum “Enchanting Expeditions: Chinese Trade Porcelains across the Globe”
Event: Art Museum “Oracle Bones Collection from CUHK” (Virtual Exhibition)
Event: Art Museum “INKspiration” Video Series
Event: Art Museum “The Bei Shan Tang Legacy: Chinese Painting” Online Mini Game
Event: Art Museum “Recordings of “The Bei Shan Tang Legacy: Chinese Painting” Symposium
Event: Art Museum “A Glimpse of Jiangnan” Video Series
Event: Art Museum “Artistic Confluence in Guangdong” Lecture Series II
Event: Art Museum “Autumn Guqin Concert”
Event: Art Museum’s Golden Jubilee Celebration Events
Event: Art Museum “Ballads of Ink from Canton” Series
Event: Art Museum “Enchanting Expeditions” Wednesday Lecture Series
Event: Art Museum “Tell-tale Relics” Social Media Sticker Pack
Event: Art Museum “Appreciate Cultural Diversity through Arts”
Event: Art Museum “Art Museum Ambassador Scheme 2021-22”
Event: Art Museum “Instant Photo Booth for the 90th Congregation”
Event: Art Museum “Research Programme for Chinese Archaeology and Art” Lecture Series 2021
Event: Lecture: “Exports to the Islamic World in the Qing Dynasty – A Talk on Canton Enamelled Copperware”
Event: Lecture: “Canton Enamelled Metalwares from Qing Dynasty in Hong Kong Collections”
Event: Online Conference “The Interaction between Enamel in the Qing Dynasty and Europe” Online Conference
Event: T.T. Ng Chinese Language Research Centre “The Seventh Inter-Regional Forum on Dialectal Grammar”
New Publications
Event Highlight: Exhibition: Southbound Intellectuals and Their Legacy: Lingnan Literati’s Contribution to a Century of Hong Kong Education
Event Highlight: “Enchanting Expeditions” Wednesday Lecture Series
Event Highlight: Wenlan Museology Forum.Youth Workshop (Phase IV)
Event Highlight: 2021 International Conference on Ming-Qing Studies, Academia Sinica
Event Highlight: RPCAA Lecture Series (11)
Event Highlight: The Second Southern Institute of Chinese Linguistics
Event Highlight: The 25th International Conference on Yue Dialects
Editorial Board Committee
 
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