Ch'ing (Pinyin: Qing )

1644 - 1912

Pronunciation: "ching"

The last Chinese dynasty began on a positive note-of energetic collecting, cataloging, and exporting-but ended disastrously. European demand for blue-and-white porcelain, lacquer, and jade, as well as for tea, soared. Vivid colors returned to ceramics, increasing the popularity of so-called pictorial porcelain-oversized platters and vases adorned with meticulously painted scenes. Members of the Eccentric school of painting developed a unique style of expressionism that emphasized spontaneous brushwork and revealed imaginative uses of color. Artisans carved delicate handheld items such as snuff bottles, lacquer boxes, and cricket cages out of jade and exotic hardwoods.

Curator of Asian art Robert Jacobsen takes us through China's illustrious past by focusing on each of its historical dynasties.

Ch'ing Dynasty Map