A large blanc de chine depiction of a Guanyin bodhisattva measures, 10.5 W x 29 in H (27cm x 74cm)

Blanc de Chine', or 'white from China', is the name given to white porcelains made in Dehua, a town in Fujian province along China's southeast coast. Historically, Dehua potters created a wide range of white wares and other ceramic products of varying quality. In the 18th century, the popularity of blanc de Chine inspired European potters to develop their own hard-paste white porcelain (made from compound minerals and fired at very high temperatures), copying prototypes imported from China. Today, Dehua still thrives as a porcelain town, boasting industrial success as well as artistic creativity.

Archaeological evidence shows that Dehua was producing ceramics as early as the 10th century. In the Southern Song dynasty (1127 – 1279), Dehua qingbai wares (porcelain with a bluish white glaze) started to enter overseas markets. The first Chinese porcelain to reach Europe – a small jar with a floral design in applied relief and covered in bluish white glaze, now in the St Mark's Basilica in Venice – was made in Dehua and is believed to have been brought back by Marco Polo in 1295. Since the Ming dynasty (1368 – 1644), the principle products at the Dehua kilns have been white wares, blue-and-white wares and some enamelled wares.

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