Painted porcelain
Painted porcelain wears its color over the glaze, and each family has a name.
Tell the color families apart
Wucai, five colors
Bold red, green and yellow in flat strokes, often outlined in black. Western collectors call the Kangxi version famille verte.
Doucai, joined colors
Outlines go under the glaze in cobalt, then enamels fill them above. The Ming Chenghua court made it small, delicate and famous.
Fencai, soft colors
White enamel mixed in lets painters shade petals and faces. Developed in the Qing, it is what the West calls famille rose.
Fired twice: once for the glaze, once for the paint.
Spot real brushwork
Enamels can contain lead or cadmium. Keep display porcelain away from food and drink unless it is sold as food safe.
Painted porcelain
Hand-picked pieces are on the way.
Good to know
Is famille rose the same as fencai?
Famille rose is the Western name for fencai, Chinese porcelain in soft enamels that include pink. It took shape in the Qing, by the Yongzheng reign, using a pink learned from European enamels.
How can you tell if porcelain is hand painted?
Look under a magnifier. Hand painting shows varied brush lines and slightly raised color. A decal shows tiny regular dots, and every motif is identical.
What do symbols on Chinese porcelain mean?
Many are puns or wishes. Bats sound like good fortune, peaches stand for long life, peonies for wealth and honor, and pomegranates for many children.
