Collecting China Art Objects in England in the 19th Century

Abstract

In the article, in the form of a brief overview, the Chinese influence on European art, in particular on English art, in the 19th century is described. The history of the emergence of Chinese art in Britain is summarized, the main stages of collecting and their prominent representatives are described. The article describes such areas of art as porcelain, engravings, painting, architecture, shows a description of their influence on European art, gives the reasons for the appearance of Chinese art in Europe. This article corrects the current picture of the development of collecting, based mainly on English-language material. The relevance of the study lies in the fact that the relationship of the studied cultures, the influence of Chinese culture on English is considered in the prism of social and political factors. The novelty of this study lies in the fact that the influence of Chinese art on the art of Europe depended on their position in the respective hierarchies: the higher the status of art in China, the less influence it had in Europe; and the higher the status of art in Europe, the less susceptible it was to Chinese influence.