Kangxi porcelains – perhaps not surprising given the longevity of this period – are vast in range and immense in variation. Remarkable, however, is the fact that not only imperial wares are of outstanding, high quality, but that non-imperial wares are hardly distinguishable in terms of material, craftsmanship, design, painting quality and aesthetic appeal. Although imperial manufactories and commercial kilns produced different wares, the connection between the two is very close, and inland and export wares are not easy to separate. Many styles were similarly created with and without reign marks, and many designs such as the complex figure scenes taken from history or literature, seem to be created solely for a Chinese audience, yet became particularly popular in the West. Rather than create an elite ware for court use, the Kangxi Emperor managed to raise the capacity and ability of the manufactories overall. This fits in with a man who was more passionately interested in progress than in extravagancies for his own person.
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