Pair of dishes of the Qing dynasty. China, 19th century. Hand-decorated porcelain.

Pair of Qing dynasty dishes. China, 19th century.
Hand-decorated porcelain.
Measurements: 23.5 cm (diameter).
Pair of Chinese porcelain dishes decorated in the Cantonese Rose Family style. The Rose Family style has its origin at the end of the Kangxi period, emperor of the Qing dynasty who reigned between 1662 and 1722. The new ornamental style is based on the introduction of new enamels, the most famous of which is pink, after which the style is named. Other new colours were also added, such as opaque yellow, white and the now independent black (until then, in order to fix the black glaze, it had to be covered with a glaze of another colour, usually translucent green). Technically, the most important is opaque white, as it could be mixed with other glazes to achieve a wide range of pastel shades, as well as allowing a smooth tonal gradation that made it possible to successfully imitate Western painting. What defines the Rose Family, therefore, is not the predominance of this colour, but this new polychrome. The new style led to the abandonment of the previously predominant Green Family, characterised by the abundance of this colour and the use of more watery glazes.