Large Brown Jar with Character, Ching

Large Brown Jar with Character, Ching

Ceramic

Height: 25.5"

Diameter: 21"

Years:  1644-1911.  The Qing or Ch’ing Dynasty was the last of the imperial dynasties in China and ended with the republican revolution in 1911, bringing an end to 2000 years of monarchic rule.  The term ‘Ch’ing’ means “pure” and was used to add legitimacy to alien Manchurian rule. China experienced substantial growth in both population and territory during this period.  Neo-Confucianism  was the dominant philosophy. The arts flourished and Qing porcelain, textiles, tea, paper, sugar, and steel were exported to all parts of the world. Military campaigns in the latter part of the 18th century depleted government finances, and corruption grew. These conditions, combined with population pressures and natural disasters, led to the Opium Wars and the Taiping and Nian rebellions, which in turn so weakened the dynasty that it was unable to rebuff the demands of foreign powers. The dynasty ended with the republican revolution of 1911 and the abdication of the last emperor in 1912.