Famille Rose, one of the distinctive varieties of Chinese porcelain, is known for its overglaze painting technique. It gets its name because the paint contains lead arsenate, which gives a milky white appearance to the colors, allowing them to be transformed into various shades and tones. This allows for more detailed and layered decorations, enhancing the sense of depth.
The painting process involves first filling the outlined design with a layer of lead white. Then, colored enamel is applied over the lead white. There are two main methods of washing and dyeing Famille Rose:
- Oil Dyeing: An oil layer is applied on the lead white, soaking up the oil, then a dyeing brush with color is used to paint the darker parts. Another brush with oil gradually washes the color from dark to light, creating a gradation of shades.
- Water Dyeing: Similar to Chinese painting techniques, a brush dipped in water and then in color is used to dot and wash the lead white surface. This method allows the color to spread and blend, producing a gradient from dark to light, adding layers and a three-dimensional effect.
The firing temperature for Famille Rose is lower than that of traditional Wucai (Five Color) porcelain, around 700°C-750°C, and is completed in a color kiln. Compared to Wucai, Famille Rose offers a richer palette with potentially dozens of different colors. In terms of artistic effect, Famille Rose is noted for its elegant, soft, and intricate colors, providing a sense of refinement and sophistication.
Famille Rose is also called “soft color” because of its lower firing temperature and softer colors compared to Wucai. It was developed during the mid to late Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty, emerging from innovations in enamel colors and painting techniques based on Wucai and enamel porcelains. Early Famille Rose pieces were often combined with Wucai and rarely used alone, resulting in fewer high-quality examples, especially from the official kilns.
Characteristics of Early Famille Rose:
- The pigments were relatively coarse, with fewer color varieties and thicker application.
- The patterns were simple, featuring designs such as dragons, phoenixes, flowers, and ladies.
- The painting techniques were often rough.
- Typical forms included incense burners, water bottles, plates, and figure sculptures, most without inscriptions.
Famille Rose porcelain saw significant development during the Yongzheng period and quickly became popular. The Jingdezhen Imperial Kiln produced large quantities to meet the demands of the court for both display and daily use. Famille Rose eventually replaced Wucai as the dominant overglaze porcelain technique from the Yongzheng period onward.
