Introduction
Shiwan, an area within the city of Foshan, Guangdong Province, has been a centre of ceramic production since the mid-Ming dynasty. In the 16th century, immigrants from the Central Plains introduced advanced pottery techniques to Shiwan, which blended with the local Guangdong cultural styles, creating a unique type of pottery. One of the most striking features of Shiwan pottery is its vibrant and varied glazes. Ranging from classic white, green, and blue to the innovative pomegranate red, these glazes enhance visual appeal to the ceramic pieces, further complementing their simple and plain modelling. In short, Shiwan pottery showcases the overall charm of Lingnan culture.
Taking Shiwan pottery figures as a prime example, the essence of these figures lies in the unique glaze application and clay shaping techniques employed in the creative process. Potters use coloured glazes to decorate the figures’ clothing while the faces and limbs retain the original colour of the ceramic body. The natural, delicate texture of the clay is utilised to depict skin textures, enhancing the figures’ lifelike quality. This tradition of ‘unglazed body’ highlights both the emotional expressions of the figures and visual beauty of the glaze itself, making it a signature characteristic of Shiwan’s pottery figures. In terms of subject matter, Shiwan potters often draw inspiration from folk legends and operatic stories. Since the 19th century, historical icons, ordinary people, and even foreigners have all been immortalised in ceramic form, reflecting the influences of an ever-changing society and the region’s cultural inclusiveness.
The Macao Museum of Art’s collection of Shiwan ceramics, originally belonging to the Portuguese collector Manuel da Silva Mendes (1867 – 1931), stands as a testament to the profound dialogue between Shiwan ceramic art and Western sculptural art. Silva Mendes, a renowned sinologist and connoisseur of Chinese studies in Macao, played a pivotal role in this cultural exchange. In 1920, he invited the celebrated Shiwan ceramic artist Pan Yushu to Macao, commissioning him to create large-scale figures incorporating the realistic expression techniques of Western classical sculpture. Pan’s initial creation and firing of small samples in Macao, followed by his collaboration with the famous Shiwan ceramic artist Chen Weiyan on the Chinese mainland, marked a significant milestone in the fusion of Western and Eastern techniques. This collaborative process, where Western realistic techniques and traditional Chinese craftsmanship interacted, resulted in a series of innovative works, such as the celebrated ‘Hua Tuo’ and ‘Lu Yu’ pieces. This all opened up new, exciting horizons for Shiwan ceramic art.
Originally owned by Silva Mendes, the diverse collection of ceramic wares from the Ming and Qing dynasties now forms a core component of the Macao Museum of Art’s collection. It encompasses emulations of antiquities, works featuring floral, fruit, bird, and beast motifs, ceramic ridge figures, as well as innovative works by Pan Yushu and Chen Weiyan. These works represent the pinnacle of Shiwan ceramic production and represent some of the earliest examples of the direct interaction between Chinese folk craftsmanship and Western artistic concepts. These pieces preserve the folkloric genes of Shiwan pottery while imbuing traditional themes with greater expressiveness through Western sculptural language. This cross-cultural artistic fusion propelled Shiwan ceramics in the 20th century in a myriad of new directions, making the art form one of the most distinct models of ‘folk craftsmanship engaging with the world’ in Chinese art history.
Lou Tai Seng
Curator