海外制瓷图中的“东方想象”

The “Oriental Imagination” in Overseas Porcelain-Making Paintings

摘要: 中国外销制瓷图像，是描绘中国瓷器生产与运销的图像，以展现取料、成型、烧造等制造环节为主，也可涵盖运输、买卖等环节。本文系统分析了外销制瓷图在窑炉形制、祭祀场景和生产环境三个方面对景德镇瓷业生产的“想象性再现”。制瓷画在广州是作为商品销售的，西方购买者可以参与外销画家的创作。广州外销画家所绘的画面很大程度受到订购者的限制，西方购买者与迎合的画家来共同定义画面，部分情节出现了想象性描绘。在窑炉形制上，画家因未亲见实况，对窑顶带状装饰及天窗数量进行了主观想象或简化，以迎合西方的审美期待。在祭祀场景中，庄重的“祀神酬愿”仪式被转化为弹奏阮、舞龙等娱乐性表演，反映了西方对中国祭神信仰的文化转译。在生产环境方面，外销画将规模化雇佣劳动的诗意化为《耕织图》式的小农田园场景，通过添加鸡、狗等符号，塑造符合西方的东方意象，揭示了其作为文化跨语境传播产物的本质。

Abstract: Chinese porcelain production imagery primarily depicts the processes of material extraction, shaping, and firing, though it is not limited to these stages, sometimes also including transportation and trade. These paintings were sold as commodities in Guangzhou, where Western purchasers could participate in the creative process of export painters. The compositions by Guangzhou export painters were largely constrained by the patrons’ demands, with both Western buyers and accommodating painters jointly “defining” the visual content, leading to imaginative depictions in certain scenes. This paper systematically analyzes the “imaginative representation” of Jingdezhen’s porcelain production in export porcelain imagery, focusing on three aspects: kiln structure, ritual scenes, and production environment. In terms of kiln structure, painters, having never witnessed the actual kilns, subjectively imagined or simplified decorative bands and the number of kiln vents to cater to Western aesthetic expectations of “oriental charm”. In ritual scenes, the solemn ceremony of “worship gods to fulfill a vow” was transformed into entertaining performances, such as playing the ruan or dragon dances, reflecting a cultural translation of Chinese ritual beliefs for Western audiences. In the depiction of production environments, export paintings idealized large-scale hired labor into idyllic, small-scale agrarian scenes reminiscent of the “Plowing and Weaving Illustrations”, incorporating symbols like chickens and dogs to construct an Orientalist utopian vision. This reveals the essence of such imagery as products of cross-cultural communication.