‘Canton Ware’ China
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A selection of pieces from our Canton ware collection, accession number 2016.1.1-30
In the late 18th and early 19th century America, Chinese porcelain was an extremely popular import. Distinctive blue and white table items, known as “Canton ware”, were seen as minor status symbols and could be found in upper and middle class households throughout New England. Nearly all porcelain imported from China was manufactured in the city of Guangzhou, the only Chinese port open to foreign trade during the period. The dishes were decorated “assembly line” style, with artists painting an individual element on the dish before passing it to the next artist. The dishes were typically decorated with tranquil landscapes or scenes from rural life in China.
The high demand for Canton ware in the United States can be traced back to historical events unfolding at the time. The early 19th century was a time when European powers were making their first attempts at establishing control over the nations of East Asia, and people were eager to learn about this strange new culture they were hearing about in the news. The very little information that actually reached the public was wildly exaggerated, and did not reflect the political and cultural realities of 19th century China. Objects like Canton ware were one of the few points of contact the average American family might have with Chinese culture. This limited, heavily stylized contact caused them to construct a fantasy version of China that existed as a stagnant, backwards empire. Ultimately, it was these fantasies that allowed western nations to justify their economic exploitation of East Asian during the mid/late 19th century, under the guise of bringing “civilized” modern culture to the east.
This particular set of china was donated to the Porter-Phelps-Huntington House in 2016 by David M.G. Huntington, the nephew of the museum's founder, Dr. James Lincoln Huntington. It was originally amassed over the course of the 19th century by the family of Dr. Huntington’s grandmother (known as the Stearns) some time before 1820. The most recent pieces date to the late 19th or early 20th century. The collection consists of approximately 87 different plates, serving platters, covered dishes, tea service items, ginger jars, and sauce boats— most of which can be found in the house’s dining room, as you would have found them in centuries past.
This post would not have been possible without the hard work of Fall 2019 intern Emilela Thomas-Adams, who spent countless hours researching, documenting, and accessioning the entire collection!
Browse the entire china collection here
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