When Women Ruled China: Empress Cixi's Power in Porcelain

This season’s Important Chinese Art auction will feature an impressive array of porcelains. The Levy Collection is one of the most comprehensive private collections encompassing important specimens of late Qing imperial porcelains. This collection is even more intriguing because it is a woman collector’s endeavor of assembling works commissioned by another woman, a womanly bond between the late Barbara Levy (1938-2021) and Empress Dowager Cixi (1835-1908). Cixi was the most powerful woman and controversial political figure in recent Chinese history. Her regency stretched over four decades, and she was the foremost patroness of late Qing court art, including porcelains. These porcelains’ dazzling colors, delicate decorations, and ambitious scales are the materialization of this formidable woman’s persona. Cixi’s sensibility in fashion, beauty, and refinement did not go unnoticed. It was appreciated by Levy a century after Cixi’s passing.

[@SwordofLight]

When power becomes more important than family, you have the struggles seen in this Empire.

[@lindamon5101]

Important*

[@SwordofLight]

@@lindamon5101 Thank you!

[@ludovicacastracane4975]

Thank you for the beautiful dialogue explanation and the one that porcelain can bring to the comprehension of a change of power so as to the associations once created.

[@dianneledford3681]

Thank you Sotheby's for the wonderful service you have provided for hundreds of years worldwide and to provide the best information for the audience!

[@khurramkhurshed9427]

Breathtaking super cool pcs ❤❤❤

[@mik212who7]

You guys should make documentaries

[@fahadalenezi9677]

Very lovely 😍😍😍

[@Renew55574]

That green plate is incredible looks like the earth.

[@pcp284]

I wonder how these got into private hands?? These belonged in the forbidden palace or the Summer Palace (Yuan Ming Yuan). The providence of these Chinese royal objects is evident!

[@ovh992]

They went from belonging to the imperial family to belongings to the communist government of China who sold them to the highest bidder. Mao hated all the trappings of imperial wealth and got rid of boat loads of it.

[@brianlawson363]

"The emperor died today. He is on high, riding the dragon." IYKYK.

[@kristine8338]

Thank you so much 🦢💟🎐.

[@Waltaere]

Sothebyy’s 😃

[@user-nz4yd3iu4t]

참 멋찌고 아름답운 예술 작퓽 입니다~~

[@lindamon5101]

The irony of Chinese Art by women 🤪🤯

[@joaoalbertodosanjosgomes1536]

Sotheby's.

[@catherinemalian9558]

Toiutedhbreu

[@petecabrina]

Funny a woman having 'to go bigger' and tripling the size of objects, seems quite ironic. As much as I love Chinese porcelain as well there can be a lack of originality where future emperors just mimic what has already been done previously, the whole Guangxu period is Kangxi in style, although some of the Cixi designs have a little originality.

[@brianrobinson1234]

Why are these items going into auction? They belong to China's history and should be housed in a Chinese museum.

[@willroske8406]

They will likely make it to a museum after the auction.

[@femmeofsubstance]

Obviously, these were items robbed and stolen blatantly - like the invading American and U.K. military forces to Iraqi imperial palaces and national museums during the Iraq War in 2000’s - during the invasion of the Chinese imperial court in Beijing in the late 19th century, from which the extremely stupid, corrupt and cowardly Cixi fled westward in China, by the evil Western alliances, including the U.K. and the U.S., who later set fire to most of the architecture and imperial gardens.

[@stevengreen198]

Well the Chinese government can always "commission" another Ticktock fantasy story to make a claim for them back😅😅😅

[@lindamon5101]

China is not very fond of girl babies.

[@Jake_kumar]

Nah, those belong to Qing emperor not modern China.