Back in the old days,Europeans had a fever for Chinese tea sets. These great items from thousands of miles away had qualities that no one had ever seen or could duplicate. The price for fine china tea sets was quite high,but it was well worth it for those who had money. The colors and material fascinated almost everyone who saw them.
Suddenly,a new kind of porcelain china tea set was made in Jingdezhen,and merchants set off almost immediately. This was the last 1720s,and there was still a huge market for these items back home,especially if it was something new.
This was the famous Famille Rose porcelain,known for its distinctive range of colors.
When compared to earlier porcelain,Famille Rose was remarkable for how many colors it incorporated. Making such vibrant colors required much more sophisticated techniques. Painters applied their skills to these tea sets,and potters had to come up with new ways of firing the porcelain so as not to damage the delicate color pigments. The result was truly remarkable.
That must be why a few emperors of the Qing dynasty sent their best painters to produce some Famille Rose items that would only be used in the imperial city. One emperor even used a whole kiln full of Famille rose items in his personal study.
Nowadays,few Westerners know that Famille rose wasn’t entirely developed in China,but major steps were taken in other countries.
Where did the color come from? Some scholars say enamels were introduced into China by Jesuit missionaries. This could explain why there were no such colors before the 18th century.
Also,pigments for the colorful Famille Rose porcelain was something China needed to ship from Europe. It wasnt until much later that China learned the techniques to make them.
Famille Rose is still exported from China and across the word to this day. Sometimes,auctions are help selling antique Famille Rose china tea sets. These sets can fetch millions of dollars,as a very specialized set of collectors and Chinese tea set lovers has emerged.
Author D. Cheng has studied Chinese culture,calligraphy,and arts &crafts such as china tea sets for years. Once in a while,he endorses skilled Chinese craftsmen. Check out some excellent Chinese tea sets.