Famille Rose & Famille Verte 

When western explorers first made contact with the Chinese, they returned with word of many fascinating art forms, products, and innovations. One of these art forms was Chinese porcelain, which subsequently became known as what else - China. The making of China is an art that goes back centuries in China, and it is one that evolved with the various dynasties that make up Chinese history. Over the years, the type of glazing and enamel applied to China changed as new designs and colors became fashionable.

It also became common for designs originating in China to become widely popular in Europe. In fact, many Chinese porcelain innovations were trend setters for the European markets. One of these innovations was the color "family" known as Famille Verte. But European influences can also be found to have influenced Chinese designs; this is the case with the color family and designs associated with Famille Rose.

Famille Verte originated in the early eighteenth century. Famille Verte is French for the "green family," and indeed the colors in Famille Verte are based on different shades of green. These green colors are then combined with hues of red, blue, and yellow and the enamel baked onto the porcelain in intricate patterns and designs. Famille Verte is a wholly Chinese innovation and builds upon patterns developed in the earlier Ming dynasty, which was characterized by a "five color" pattern of decoration.

Famille Rose, on the other hand, was influenced heavily by colors introduced from Europe. The pink and rose hues of this classification of China are deviations from previous Chinese designs, and the pieces that were produced with the Famille Rose are much more closely associated with the forms of China popular in modern European and Western markets than with older Chinese designs. The Famille Rose palette of colors is more opaque than other color and design groupings. Additionally gold colorations are used more than the deeper red hues of previous designs.

Many Famille Rose patterns were exported to Europe, and the fanciers of China there often refined and redesigned these patterns and sent these designs back to China for production. Thus, while many of the Famille Rose patterns are wholly of Chinese origin, others have roots that intermingle with European designs and ideas. The Famille Rose "era" is from about 1730 to the 1790s. Early Chinese pieces are characterized by large flowers, while later pieces adopt smaller flowers that were more popular in European markets.

The making of fine porcelain pieces is an ancient art in China, practiced for centuries before the area was even explored by the west. However, once the export market became an important part of the Chinese economy, various influences began to influence the colors and designs produced by the country's many kilns and productions sites. Famille Verte and Famille Rose are two of the best examples of these styles, and pieces made with these enamel color families are prized by collectors still.

 
This large Canton Famille Rose c: 1800 Bowl (11.5 inch diam) is for sale

Chronology

China has always been richly endowed with the raw materials needed for making ceramic, and the first Chinese ceramics were made about eleven thousand years ago, during the Palaeolithic Era, (...) but the first true Chinese porcelain was made in the province of Zhejiang during the Eastern Han period (25-220 AD). (...)

The city of Jingdezhen has been an important centre for the production of ceramics in southern China since at least the early Han Dynasty (206 BC-24 AD) (...) but European exports started in the reign of the Wanli emperor (1572-1620) (...) when the first "modern" trading station in China was established in 1556 by the Portuguese, in Canton (...)

Famille Verte (c. 1700-1730) - during the Kangxi period (1661-1722) (...) the late Ming Wucai decoration (meaning five enamels or "five colour ware", the number 5 having an important symbolic significance in Chinese art), (...) developed into a new "style family" called Famille Verte (...). This decoration is based primarily on different shades of green in combinations with red, blue and yellow and designs are inspired in prints and paintings of the Kangxi era. (...)

Famille Rose (c. 1730-1790) - simultaneously with the replacement of the Baroque style by the Rococo in Europe, the Famille Rose appeared in the Chinese export porcelain, succeeding the Famille Verte style. Significant for this style is a new emphasis on flowers, influenced by the by now established Qing dynasty, a colour scheme based on enamels mixed with white to give a softer impression, and the presence of a new rose enamel based on gold. (...)



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