Top Qing Dynasty connoisseur expert: The Palace Museum showcases Emperor Qianlong’s ceramic tastes

By Li Xinyi, compiled and reported

Emperor Qianlong reigned for 60 years and personally examined cultural relics, investing significant manpower and resources to build the Qing imperial collection. With extraordinary artistic taste, the Palace Museum is presenting the special exhibition “Finding Delight—Emperor Qianlong’s Ceramic Taste” from today until September 30 next year, showcasing ceramics from the museum’s collection inscribed with Qianlong’s imperial poems, as well as works that can be compared with ceramic albums. Through the trail of ceramics viewed by Emperor Qianlong, visitors can understand his connoisseurial taste.

“Finding Delight” was the imperial seal used by Emperor Qianlong for appreciating art, signifying the visual pleasure and enjoyment derived from viewing cultural treasures. Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty reigned for 60 years (1736–1795), and even after abdicating, he served as the Retired Emperor for three more years while still holding power, earning the title “Emperor of the 18th Century” due to his longevity and long reign. During his rule, he devoted considerable energy to building the Qing imperial collection and could be called the chief museum curator.

From today’s perspective on ceramic history, the ceramics inscribed with Qianlong’s imperial poems and reviewed by him span kilns including the Ding, Ru, Guan, Ge, Jun, and the Ming Xuande official kilns—a clear reflection of how his decree to inscribe imperial poetry, as well as his selection of renowned kiln pieces, were influenced by late Ming ceramic connoisseurship. Moreover, since most of the poems praise ceramics used in the Song court, particularly those from the Northern Song Ru Kiln, the Southern Song Guan Kiln, and related series, they express a sense of self-warning and introspection about the shift between northern and southern regimes. In addition, the exhibition also includes ceramics depicted in ceramic albums. As these albums were commissioned by Emperor Qianlong and preserved in the Qing palace, they can be seen as marks of connoisseurship, confirming that the ceramics illustrated had been viewed and appraised by the emperor himself.