What does famille rose actually mean?

It's the European term for a Chinese overglaze enamel palette built around an opaque pink made from colloidal gold. It came in early in the 18th century. The opacity is the point. It allowed painterly shading on figures, birds and flowers that earlier enamel schemes couldn't manage.

Which shapes come up most often?

Bowls, by a distance: 50 of 164 titles. The most repeated single shape in the samples is a large Canton or rose medallion bowl of sixteen to twenty inches. After that come dishes, plates, mugs, brush pots, jardinieres, jars, teapots, snuff bottles and figures. The 18th-century Qianlong mug is the second most repeated form.

Is all famille rose Chinese?

Almost all of it. 'Chinese' appears in 133 of 164 titles. European porcelain in the famille rose taste shows up now and then, around one piece in twelve, including Chelsea, Bow, Chantilly and a Regency Spode barrel scent jar carrying a pattern number.

How precisely are these pieces dated?

Loosely, for the most part. Only 58 of 164 listings carry a clean year, while 54 say just '19th Century' and 35 just '18th Century'. Reign names appear where a dealer felt able to give one, covering Yongzheng, Qianlong, Jiaqing, Daoguang, Tongzhi, Guangxu and the Republican period. Qianlong leads at 27 titles.

What are the largest pieces in the category?

Furniture-scale porcelain sits at the top: pairs of garden seats, a rose medallion umbrella stand and Qing painted barrel seats. Among vessels, the biggest measured bowls are stated at 51cm and 19 inches across. Two figures reach 56cm, a pheasant and a pair of Qing emperors.

Do snuff bottles appear in famille rose?

They do, five in the samples, and they're the smallest recurring form in the archive. Their placing varies widely. Some sit near the bottom of the range, others well up it.

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Antique Famille Rose

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Famille rose is Chinese porcelain painted in opaque overglaze enamels built around a pink, made from the early 18th century for both the domestic and the export table.