Ceramic works echo emperor's aesthetics

Just as he embraced a reformative policymaking spirit, Yongzheng pushed to upgrade ceramic surfaces. He ordered artisans at imperial ateliers to model or employ styles from previous dynasties, such as those of the Five Kilns of the Song Dynasty (960-1279), with new colors and glazing techniques.

Yongzheng ushered in a trend to incorporate Western techniques in ceramic design. Jin Liyan, a ceramics connoisseur, says that historic documents mention that the imperial kilns in Jingdezhen, Jiangxi province, produced different styles of wares that employed Western styles. Examples of this are displayed in the exhibition, including a ceramic candle holder with relief floral and dragon patterns.