A glimpse into Chinese export porcelain in Europe
A glimpse into Chinese export porcelain in Europe
In the 18th and 19th centuries, Canton (today's Guangzhou) was an important hub for world trade, making it a gateway for cultural and artistic exchanges between China and the West. Many Chinese handicrafts, including porcelain, were exported from here to the overseas market.
As International Museum Day approaches, the Memorial Museum of Generalissimo Sun Yat-sen's Mansion is hosting an exhibition titled "Wisdom from China – Chinese Export Porcelain's Influence on the West". It showcases the exquisite Chinese export porcelain, its influence on the lives of Europeans, and the development of European porcelain
The exhibited porcelain collection includes various types such as blue and white porcelain, Guangzhou painted porcelain (Guangcai), Famille rose porcelain, Kraak ware, and Imari ware. Visitors can marvel at 108 pieces (sets) of Chinese export porcelain, mainly dating from the Ming and Qing dynasties. Additionally, the exhibition features porcelain items from countries like Sweden, Britain, France, Holland, Portugal, and more.
Other items also on display include watercolor paintings and oil paintings that display cultural relics and the history of Chinese export porcelain, pith paper paintings introducing the production process of Chinese porcelain, and blue and white porcelain pieces, tea leaves, and twine recovered from the sunken ship Gothenburg.