Have you ever held a piece of Chinese porcelain and wondered whether it was genuine? Or perhaps: which dynasty it belongs to, what style you're looking at — and whether it's Kraak, Famille Rose or perhaps even Doucai?
For those who work with, collect or cherish Chinese porcelain, recognition is essential. Not only to determine value, but to understand the story behind each object.
Many styles resemble one another. Forgeries circulate abundantly. And without the proper knowledge, iconic masterpieces are often confused with reproductions.
Key Takeaways
- Chinese porcelain features diverse iconic styles, each connected to a specific dynasty or region — such as blue and white porcelain from the Yuan, Ming and Kangxi dynasties.
- You can recognise these styles through specific characteristics including colour usage, brushwork technique, form, glaze type and decorative motifs.
- Each dynasty brought its own vision. The Ming dynasty, for instance, put porcelain on the world map through export and standardised production.
- Certain styles gained worldwide fame due to their influence and export history, such as Kraak porcelain through 17th-century Dutch East India Company trade.
Table of Contents
- How Do You Recognise Kraak Porcelain?
- What Makes Blanc de Chine Unique?
- Famille Verte vs Famille Rose: What Are the Differences?
- Everything About Blue and White Porcelain and the Kangxi Style
- Celadon: Jade in Porcelain Form
- The Symbolic Yellow Glaze of the Imperial Court
- Jian Ware and Jun Ware: Contrast in Glaze Philosophy
- Doucai Technique: Colour in Balance
- What Is Kangxi Revival Porcelain?
- How Do You Recognise Qing Revival and Neo-Kangxi Styles?
- Export Styles: Nanking Cargo & Chine de Commande
- What Is Chinoiserie Porcelain?
What Is Kraak Porcelain and Why Is It So Popular Among Collectors?
Origin — Kraak porcelain is a term used in Western art history for a specific type of blue and white porcelain, produced during the late Ming dynasty (particularly under the Wanli Emperor, circa 1573–1620).
The name "kraak" likely derives from the Portuguese ships (carracks) which transported these objects to Europe via Dutch East India Company trade routes.
Characteristics — The porcelain is characterised by a central medallion, surrounded by segments featuring symbolic decorations such as lotus flowers, peonies or landscapes. The decoration is applied relatively coarsely, with expressive brushwork and occasionally asymmetrical compositions — characteristics now regarded as charming and authentic.
What makes Kraak porcelain particularly special is its early export function: it was amongst the first porcelain styles to circulate widely in Europe, thus forming the blueprint for European imitation styles, including Delftware.
What Makes Blanc de Chine So Unique in Form and Expression?
Origin — Blanc de Chine, produced in Dehua (Fujian Province) since the Ming dynasty, represents an exceptional category of white porcelain.
Characteristics — The porcelain is either unglazed or covered with a thin, ivory-like transparent glaze, which emphasises the technical mastery of the Dehua kilns.
It's particularly renowned for its Buddhist and Taoist sculptures, notably the serene figures of Guanyin, the bodhisattva of compassion. The figures are often hollow-cast and hand-finished, creating a subtle interplay of light and shadow.
Blanc de Chine symbolises spiritual purity, stillness and craftsmanship, and was exported to Europe during the 17th century where — under the influence of Jesuit missions — it was religiously reinterpreted as Madonna and Child.
What Is the Difference Between Famille Verte and Famille Rose Porcelain?
Origin — The terms Famille Verte and Famille Rose are French classifications from the 18th century, introduced by European collectors to distinguish different overglaze decoration palettes on Qing porcelain.
Characteristics
- Famille Verte ("green family") predominates during the Kangxi period (1662–1722) and is characterised by frequent use of iron oxide red, yellow, black and particularly a transparent green enamel. The motifs are narrative: geishas in gardens, hunting scenes, literary-symbolic compositions, with fine brushwork and asymmetrical spatial distribution.
- Famille Rose ("pink family") flourished under the Yongzheng and Qianlong emperors (1723–1795). This style introduced new lead-based enamel colours, including pastel pink derived from gold chloride. This enabled finer colour gradations and more detailed facial expressions.
Famille Rose marks a transition towards a more intimate, refined court aesthetic and aligns closely with the rococo taste palette of European courts, particularly in France and Germany.
What Are the Characteristics of Blue and White Chinese Porcelain?
Origin — Blue and white porcelain (qinghua) is arguably the most iconic and universally recognisable form of Chinese porcelain. Its origins lie in the Yuan dynasty (1271–1368), but the genre reached its artistic zenith under the Ming and early Qing emperors.
Characteristics — The secret of this porcelain lies in the combination of pure white kaolin and deep blue cobalt oxide — originally imported from Persia.
The motifs, ranging from landscape scenes to dragons, birds and poetic calligraphy, were hand-painted before glazing, then fired at high temperature.
Blue and white porcelain wasn't merely an artistic medium, but also a geopolitical trading commodity. During the 17th century it found its way to Istanbul, Amsterdam and even Mexico City, where it was syncretistically incorporated into local traditions.
What Is Celadon Porcelain and How Does the Jade-Green Colour Form?
Origin — Celadon (qingci) refers to the glaze type rather than the body, and has its roots in the Eastern Han dynasty. The celadon tradition was cultivated during the Tang period and perfected in the Song dynasty, particularly in the famous Longquan kilns.
Characteristics — The characteristic jade-green colour results from an iron-bearing glaze fired in an oxygen-deprived (reducing) kiln atmosphere. The visual resemblance to jade — the most precious material in Chinese culture — explains the prestige of this style.
Celadon porcelain often displays restrained forms, with motifs such as lotus flowers or stylised wave patterns, sometimes concealed in relief beneath the glaze. It articulates the visual silence of Song aesthetics: harmony, balance and contemplation.
What Is Yellow Glaze Porcelain and Why Was It Reserved for Imperial Use?
Origin — Yellow glaze was regarded during the Ming and Qing dynasties as exclusive to the imperial court. Yellow, the colour of earth in the traditional Chinese cosmological model (wu xing), symbolised the centre, stability and imperial authority.
During the Ming period (especially under Emperor Hongzhi, 1488–1505), monochrome yellow glaze on white porcelain was reserved exclusively for objects intended for ritual and ceremonial functions within the Forbidden City.
Production of these works typically occurred in Jingdezhen, resulting in delicate bowls, cups and small offering vessels. It required exceptional craftsmanship to apply the lead-bearing glaze evenly and prevent discolouration during high-temperature firing. Combined with the austere design, this porcelain acquired a restrained, almost sacral quality.
What Is Jian Ware and How Does It Differ From Jun Ware?
Jian ware is a type of stoneware from Fujian, celebrated during the Song dynasty (960–1279), particularly for the deep, black glazes used in tea ceremonies within Zen Buddhist monasteries. The bowls often display an iron oxide-saturated glaze that naturally separates into "hare's fur" or "oil spot" patterns — abstract, cosmic textures that enhance the meditative character of the object.
Jun ware, produced in Henan, contrasts sharply: this ceramic is heavy, with thick, milky blue to purple glazes. The technique of applying copper oxide onto a base glaze layer led to spectacular colour variations during firing. No two pieces are identical — each object is a fortuitous creation of fire and chemistry, making Jun ware beloved amongst aesthetically minded collectors.
What Is Doucai Porcelain and How Do You Recognise It?
Doucai (斗彩), literally "contrasting colours", is a technique perfected under Emperor Chenghua (Ming dynasty, 15th century). The outline of the decoration was painted with underglaze blue, after which the object was glazed, fired, then detailed with overglaze colours such as iron red, green and yellow. The whole was then refired at lower temperature.
The result is an elegant, airy composition wherein the colours remain vivid and the outlines contrast refinedly with the glaze layer. The most famous Doucai works are the 'chicken cups' — delicate beakers featuring cockerels, hens and chicks — which symbolise harmony, fertility and familial happiness.
What Is Kangxi Revival Porcelain and Why Is It So Popular?
During the 19th century, in the late Qing period, a strong reappraisal emerged for porcelain styles from the glorious Kangxi era. The so-called Kangxi revival style reflects a nostalgic and commercial resurgence of earlier aesthetics, particularly for the export market.
What Does the Term Kangxi Revival Style Mean Precisely?
The Kangxi revival style concerns porcelain manufactured after the 18th century — often in Jingdezhen — which deliberately references the formal, decorative and technical characteristics of the Kangxi period (1662–1722).
These reinterpretations employed the same cobalt pigments, five-colour techniques (wucai), floral and landscape motifs, but were sometimes adapted to suit European collectors' tastes.
Revival pieces are often characterised by a slightly heavier body and more systematic pattern repetition, distinguishing them from authentic Kangxi objects.
What Is the Difference Between Kangxi Revival and Yongzheng Revival?
The Yongzheng revival style is more restrained and refined than its Kangxi counterpart. This style emphasises soft transitions, pastel colours and more delicate brushwork — echoes of the Yongzheng imperial aesthetic (1723–1735), renowned for its pursuit of elegance and precision.
Revival pieces in this style are often smaller in scale and thematically focused on floral still lifes, elegant ladies or mythological birds such as the phoenix. They were typically produced for both the domestic elite and foreign collectors with a preference for refined aesthetics.
What Is Qing Revival Porcelain?
Qing revival porcelain refers to a broader movement of reproduction porcelain in the 19th century, wherein styles from throughout the Qing period were revived. These pieces often combine elements from different sub-periods — Kangxi, Yongzheng, Qianlong — and reflect the academic and commercial revival of traditional aesthetics during a time of cultural uncertainty and Western influence.
These objects frequently bear deliberate archaic imperial reign marks, which led to confusion (and speculation) amongst European collectors and museums during the 19th and 20th centuries.
What Is Kangxi Blue and White Porcelain?
Kangxi blue and white porcelain represents a specific refinement level of the older blue and white genre. The cobalt blue pigments are vibrant yet not saturated; brushstrokes are subtle, with clear variation in thickness and depth. The compositions are dynamic yet harmonious — with considerable attention to negative space.
Typical motifs include landscapes with misty mountains, bamboo groves, cranes, and scenes from popular novels such as Dream of the Red Chamber. These porcelain objects combine technical mastery with a refined, often poetic visual language.
What Are Kangxi Five Colours (Wucai) in Chinese Porcelain?
Wucai (五彩), or "five colours", is a decorative style wherein underglaze blue is combined with overglaze enamels in red, green, yellow and black. During the Kangxi period this technique was further perfected, with vibrant scenes on large vases, bowls and jars.
The decoration is narrative and lively: think of imperial dragons, Taoist immortals, or children playing in gardens. The palette was so powerful and appealing that it led to extensive emulation in both later Chinese production and European imitation.
What Is 19th-Century Export Porcelain in Kangxi Style?
Under the influence of European neoclassical taste in the 19th century, large-scale production emerged of Kangxi-style porcelain, specially intended for export. These pieces are often larger, heavier and more symmetrical in design than their 17th-century exemplars. The decoration is colourful yet precise, sometimes featuring European forms (such as candlesticks or services with armorial motifs).
They were popular amongst collectors in England, France and Germany, where fascination grew for 'Chinese blue'. These pieces played a central role in shaping the European perception of 'chinoiserie'.
What Is the Nanking Cargo Style?
The Nanking Cargo style refers to the cargo of the Dutch East India Company ship Geldermalsen, which sank in 1752 and was discovered in 1985. On board was an enormous quantity of blue and white porcelain objects — tea bowls, saucers, ginger jars — specially made for the European market.
The decoration is typically 18th-century Qing: stylised flowers, symbols for luck and prosperity, sometimes combined with landscape elements. The wreck's discovery inspired renewed interest in this type of export porcelain, and led to thousands of reproductions — often in the so-called "Nanking cargo style".
What Does Chine de Commande Mean in the Porcelain World?
Chine de commande ("porcelain to order") is a term used for porcelain custom-produced between the 17th and 19th centuries for European patrons. These pieces often contain family coats of arms, initials, Christian motifs or landscapes that don't belong to the Chinese pictorial tradition.
The objects were manufactured in Jingdezhen, but based on drawings or engravings supplied by European traders. They are tangible evidence of transcultural exchange between East and West, and today form a niche area within collecting and museum collections.
What Is Neo-Kangxi Porcelain?
Neo-Kangxi is a contemporary term for modern replicas or reinterpretations of the classical Kangxi style, mostly manufactured since the late 20th century. These pieces combine historical decoration with modern techniques and materials, and are often intended for museum reconstructions, interiors or educational purposes.
Whilst some replicas are intended as homage to lost techniques, commercial versions also circulate on the antiques market — with varying quality and authenticity.
What Is Chinoiserie Porcelain and How Did It Originate?
Chinoiserie is a European aesthetic that imitates and romanticises Chinese art and design, particularly during the Baroque and Rococo periods (18th century). Porcelain in the chinoiserie style was produced both in Europe and in China itself. In the latter case, one spoke of 'Chine de commande', wherein Chinese craftsmen depicted European fantasies about 'the Orient'.
The motifs are exotic and playful: mandarins in pavilions, dragons, pagodas and flora in asymmetrical compositions. Chinoiserie reflects more the European desire for the unknown, than authentic China itself.
