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- the emperor. Many of these measures contributed to the wealth and splendour of his reign and that of his son and successor, Qianlong.
Yongzheng, like his father, was a keen collector of ceramics and took considerable interest in ceramic production. In 1726 he appointed Nian Xiyao as the superintendent of the imperial factory in Jingdezhen. Tang Ying, a potter of outstanding talents, was made his assistant in 1728. The finest porcelain and the cleverest ceramic novelties of the Yongzheng period are associated with their names.
Many of the experiments and innovations in glazes and enamels of the Kangxi period were carried to full perfection during the comparatively brief reign of Yongzheng. Some ceramic critics even say this period saw the peak development of porcelain in China.
Emperor Yongzheng loved to send ancient ceramics from the palace collection, especially the monochromes of the Song dynasty (960-1279) and old Ming blue and whites, to Nian Xiyao at Jingdezhen to be reproduced in porcelain. Often these reproductions were more finished and perfect than the originals. Nian was also very skilled at copying the openwork (linglong) and secret decorations (anhua) of earlier wares.
Monochrome wares are amongst the most famous porcelains made during Yongzheng�s reign, particularly the pale blue (known as clair de lune) [44] and souffle red glazes. Many monochrome glazes, including the cloisonne blue (sapphire blue) and tea dust glazes, are thought to have been invented by Nian Xiyao, himself. The tea dust glaze [xiii] , which is formed by blowing a green enamel on to a yellowish-brown ground, was so highly prized, that a law was passed reserving it exclusively for the use of the emperor during Qianlong�s reign. The prohibited colour of Yongzheng�s reign was imperial yellow, which has a marked orange tint.
It was in this reign that famille rose enamelled wares became extremely popular and reached their full flowering, almost completely replacing famille verte wares, which henceforth declined in importance. The soft delicate tints of the famille rose palette ranged from deep ruby red to pale pink. The former vigour of the famille verte decoration gives way to subdued colours, delicate shading, meticulous detail, and a wider variety of colour combinations made possible by the introduction of opaque white enamel which could be mixed with the colours to modify them.
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