Phoenix Vase

Fènghuáng are mythological birds found in Sinospheric mythology that reign over all other birds. The males were originally called fèng and the females huáng, but such a distinction of gender is often no longer made and they are blurred into a single feminine entity so that the bird can be paired with the Chinese dragon, which is traditionally deemed male.

The feng huang played a key role in the creation of the cosmos according to Chinese mythology. Pan Gu, the god of creation, is believed to have been the first living thing to have come forth from the egg of chaos. Four others followed — a dragon, a qilin, a tortoise, and a feng huang. These four are called the Four Spirits. They joined with Pan Gu to create the universe we now know.

The term famille rose (meaning of the “pink family”) refers to porcelain glazed with enamels in a predominantly pink, white, yellow, and green color palette. The term originated with a French scholar in 1862 and has been used by scholars of all nationalities. While it is important to note that other, more specific, terms originate from Chinese that describe these same wares, famille rose is a blanket term commonly used by auction houses, antique dealers, and in older scholarly publications. These terms have overlapping and been interchangeable for some time, so it can help to unpack them a little.

Famille rose wares began to emerge in quantity by the early 18th century. At the end of the 17th century, firing techniques developed allowing for pink, white, and opaque yellow enamels to be added to the existing color palette of green, black, translucent yellow, iron red, and underglaze blue. In China, these wares were described early on as yangcai, meaning foreign colors, due to the European influence that initially introduced them via Jesuits visiting the imperial court.

Other Chinese terms include falangcai, which refers to wares in this new palette that originated in the imperial workshops, and fencai, meaning powder colors, which were falangcai enamels of slightly different compositions including iron powder and lead arsenate, combined to make opaque white enamel. The exact technical definitions of these terms and origin dates are the subject of ongoing scholarship, and the two can be challenging to differentiate.

Designs on porcelain could now have a more delicate, “filled in” three-dimensional effect, with more subtle gradations in color achievable. For example, flowers became more exquisite, expressive, and naturalistically depicted, and human figures more realistically depicted in various settings.

The Qianlong period, considered by many the height of famille rose ceramic production, produced wares displaying some of the best and most innovative techniques. Pieces made during this reign are in high demand and often imitated.

Meanwhile, towards the end of the 18th century, famille rose porcelains became extremely popular for export to the West. The most prevalent motifs were named “rose medallion,” characterized by dense swathes of butterflies and birds arranged around cartouches depicting figures in idealized court scenes, and “rose mandarin,” of similar design incorporating more figures in reserves in the place of the butterflies and birds.