What does Imari mean in a porcelain listing?

It's a palette rather than a factory: iron-red, cobalt blue and gilding. Japanese in origin, and copied by Chinese and English makers. The word sits in 188 titles on Sellingantiques, running from Genroku-period Arita bowls through to Taisho chargers, with 'meiji' in another 84.

Why do so many titles say 'pair'?

Because pairs are how a great deal of decorative porcelain was made and sold. Figures, urns, chargers and jardinières were conceived as two. One in seven titles in the archive describes two objects rather than one, and pairs sit consistently at the upper end of the range. Sets, services and collection lots behave the same way.

How old is the porcelain listed in this category?

The dated field spans 1700 to 1960, with 995 listings carrying a clean year. The rest use style labels. '19th Century' is the single biggest bucket at 694 titles, ahead of '18th Century' at 427, with Georgian, Victorian and Regency used loosely alongside them. A Georgian coffee can might be catalogued c.1785 or c.1820. A handful of Chinese pieces are catalogued earlier, into the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.

Is famille rose Chinese or European?

Chinese. Famille rose and famille verte are enamel palettes named for their dominant pink or green. 'Famille' appears in 80 titles, part of a Chinese strand that also takes in Kangxi, Qianlong, Ming, Swatow, Canton and Nanking wares.

What are the smallest and largest pieces sold?

At one end, single coffee cans, tea bowls and lone saucers a few inches across. At the other, dimensions get quoted because they impress: a 43cm Meissen parrot, a 51cm Dresden figure, a 56cm famille rose pheasant, Canton bowls of 16 and 19 inches. 'Large' turns up in 245 titles.

Does shipwreck cargo porcelain appear?

Occasionally. Nanking Cargo bowls of around 1751, a Tek Sing dish of about 1822 and a Ming cargo bowl of around 1645 have all come through. They're catalogued by cargo name in the title, which is how these pieces are usually identified.

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Antique Porcelain

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Porcelain made for tea and coffee drinking, dining and display, from English, Chinese, Japanese and Continental factories, running from small cups and dishes to figures, chargers and jardinières.