Chinese Porcelain
Famille Rose wares 1725-1800
Page 1
There was great demand for Chinese porcelain in Europe at the end of the 17th century. This led to the production of a variety of shapes and decorations while the competition between private merchants also contributed to a very varied supply. Besides porcelain decorated in underglaze blue, famille verte and Chinese Imari, many other types emerged, decorated with overglaze enamels that were sometimes combined with underglaze blue. The most important development, however, was the use of a pink-red enamel around 1725. Porcelain decorated with this enamel is called famille rose. Within a very short time this type supplanted famille verte and became the popular choice for all kinds of export porcelain. Mixing the rose with white enamel created shades of colour that suggested depth and volume. Famille rose knows a great variety in quality and decorations. The name was invented in the 19th century; before that it was simply called 'enamelled'. Rose enamel was first developed in the Imperial workshops in Beijing and applied on enamelled copper and bronze objects. Western chemical knowledge introduced by the Jesuits at the court around 1700 probably played a role. Since c.1725 it also was used on porcelain in Jingdezhen. Initially, the colour had a lilac shade but became a proper pink after c.1730. It was applied rather thickly and, unlike the very thin iron-red, can easily be felt on top of the glaze. Rose was applied on all types of export porcelain and there are countless combinations with other enamels.
Famille Rose wares 1725-1800 - Page 1
Object 2010736
Teacup and saucer
China
1730-1740
Provenance: Mark Powley, Fine Chinese Art, San Francisco, The United States of America.
Height of teacup 37 mm (1.46 inch), diameter of rim 72 mm (2.83 inch), diameter of footring 31 mm (1.22 inch), weight 30 grams (1.06 ounce (oz.))
Height of saucer 20 mm (0.79 inch), diameter of rim 114 mm (4.49 inch), diameter of footring 67 mm (2.64 inch), weight 56 grams (1.98 ounce (oz.))
Teacup and saucer on footrings, slightly everted rims. Decorated in various famille rose enamels with a peacock near a tiled terrace in a garden landscape with rockwork, a lingzhi, a flowering peony tree and flowering plants. On the rim a diaper-pattern border with four reserves filled with leafy scrolls. The reverse is undecorated. The teacup is decorated en suite.
The peacock is a symbol of dignity and beauty. It wards off evil and dances when it sees a beautiful woman. As peacocks' feathers were used during the Qing dynasty to denote official ranks, the peacock motif might also express a wish for a good position. (Jörg & Van Campen 1997, p.157)
For a dish similarly decorated in various famille rose enamels with peacocks in a garden landscape, please see;
Condition:
Teacup: A tiny frit to the rim.
Saucer: Perfect.
References:
Price: € 749 - $ 824 - £ 640
(the $ and £ prices are approximates and depend on the € price exchange rate)
Famille Rose wares 1725-1800 - Page 1
Object 2011026
Teacup and saucer
China
1730-1740
Height of teacup 36 mm (1.42 inch), diameter of rim 65 mm (2.56 inch), diameter of footring 30 mm (1.18 inch), weight 30 grams (1.06 ounce (oz.))
Height of saucer 19 mm (0.75 inch), diameter of rim 105 mm (4.13 inch), diameter of footring 61 mm (2.40 inch), weight 51 grams (1.80 ounce (oz.))
Teacup and saucer on footrings with spreading sides and rims, Decorated in various overglaze, famille rose, enamels. Decorated with a roundel filled with a pheasant perched on a pierced taihu (garden) rockwork with flowering lotus, peony and chrysanthemum plants. On the sides three scalloped cartouches filled with a flowering plants reserved on a cell-pattern ground enriched with flower heads. Round the rim a trellis-pattern border. The reverse is undecorated. The teacup is decorated en suite.
The pheasant on a taihu (garden) rock is a very popular motif on export porcelain and frequently appears on enamelled and underglaze blue Kangxi wares. According to Williams, in the Chinese bureaucratic hierarchy officials of the second grade had a gold pheasant embroidered on their court robes, those of the fifth grade a silver pheasant. The bird was represented as standing on a rock, looking towards the sun, the imperial symbol of authority. The term 'famille rose' was first coined by the 19th-century French author Albert Jacquemart, who distinguished between specific groups in his descriptions of Oriental ceramics. (Williams 1976, pp.322-323), (Jörg & Van Campen 1997, p.157), (Jörg 2003/2, p.25)
Condition teacup: Two frits and two fleabites one with a connected tiny short hairline.
Condition saucer: A firing flaw and a frit to the rim.
References:
Jacquemart & Le Blant 1862, pp. 77-105
Jörg & Van Campen 1997, cat. 171
Price: € 499 - $ 549 - £ 428
(the $ and £ prices are approximates and depend on the € price exchange rate)
Famille Rose wares 1725-1800 - Page 1
Object 2011825
Dish
China
1740-60
Height 34 mm (1.34 inch), diameter of rim 181 mm (7.13 inch), diameter of footring: 107 mm (4.21 inch), weight 235 grams (8.29 ounce (oz.))
Dish on footring, straight rim with a scalloped edge. Decorated in various famille rose enamels, iron-red and gold with scattered 'German flowers'. Around the rim a spearhead-pattern border. The reverse is undecorated.
This decoration was closely copied by the Chinese porcelain painter from a Meissen or other factory example. The term 'famille rose' was first coined by the 19th-century French author Albert Jacquemart, who distinguished between specific groups in his descriptions of Oriental ceramics. (Jörg 2003/2, p.25).
For similarly decorated objects, please see;
- Chinese Export Porcelain. Chine de Commande from the Royal Museum of Art and History in Brussels, exhibition catalogue Hong Kong Museum of Art, (C.J.A. Jörg, The Urban Council, Hong Kong, 1989), pp. 234-235, cat. 93.
- Chinese Export Porcelain in the Reeves Center Collection at Washington and Lee University, (Th.V. Litzenburg, London 2003), p.71, cat. 54.
- 300 Treasures, (F. Suchomel, Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague, Prague, 2015), p.436, cat. 270.
Condition: A hairline and some glaze rough spots to the rim.
References:
Jacquemart & Le Blant 1862, pp. 77-105
Price: € 199 - $ 221 - £ 179
(the $ and £ prices are approximates and depend on the € price exchange rate)
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