NEW YORK — Famille verte porcelain has been highly prized since it was developed in China during the Kangxi period (1661-1722). The best pieces were reserved for the emperor and the royal court, but many fine examples made their way to discriminating buyers in the late 17th to the early 18th century.
This durable yet translucent style of porcelain is recognizable by its iridescent glow as well as its vibrant green enameling that is enhanced by additional overglaze color decoration in the form of yellows, blues, reds and purples. The five colors that make up famille verte give this genre its Chinese name, wucai, meaning five colors.
In this style of Chinese porcelain, the two most popular color groupings are famille verte and famille rose, aka red, but other variations on the form include famille jaune (yellow) and famille noire (black). Both the green and red styles have remained solidly popular since their introduction.
Famille verte porcelain vases are readily found; much scarcer are the ginger jars of the kind that were initially made at the imperial kilns in Jingdezhen, then China’s central hub of porcelain production.
The enameling decoration on famille verte typically runs to flowers and animals as well as figures and landscape scenes. Many designs have been exactingly copied from old books and woodcut illustrations. A set of four Qing dynasty famille verte dishes, which attained $90,000 plus the buyer’s premium in August 2022 at Sam & Suely’s Auction Inc., appear similar to or clearly inspired by illustrations in the well-known Chinese novel Water Margin. Several of the plates depict military figures who hold spears or halberds.
Many famille verte vases made their way to Europe and North America during the centuries. Factors such as style and decoration, the quality of enameling as well as its rarity, and condition and provenance all affect value. Certainly a striking piece is the gu-style vase from the Qing Kangxi period that earned $48,000 plus the buyer’s premium in March 2022 at Singapore International Auction Pte Ltd. Standing about 18in tall, the vase depicts traditional Chinese themes and shows multiple figures in vignette scenes against a lavishly decorated composition above floral decoration.
This pair of 19th-century Chinese famille verte palace vases brought $14,000 plus the buyer’s premium in June 2022. Image courtesy of Akiba Galleries and LiveAuctioneers.
Buyers often favor vases created as pairs. An impressive pair of 19th-century Chinese famille verte palace vases brought $14,000 plus the buyer’s premium in June 2022 at Akiba Galleries. The 31½in-tall vases featured ormolu fittings decorated with archaic bronze vessels and scholarly objects, and had square bronze bases decorated with dangling laurel wreaths.
When it comes to vases, bigger is not necessarily better, but massive floor vases have an undeniably commanding presence. A case in point is a pair of palatial famille verte floor vases that made $8,000 plus the buyer’s premium in May 2022 at Bruneau & Co. Auctioneers. Standing more than 34in tall, these 19th-century vases had flared rims and artfully decorated applied foo dog handles, and featured three-toed dragons cavorting around the shoulder amid ornate imperial court cartouches.
In addition to vases, famille verte bowls and lidded jars are also highly collectible. An ormolu-mounted bowl having a cauldron form, decorated with brightly colored dragons and set on a tripod stand, took $6,000 plus the buyer’s premium in December 2021 at Shapiro Auctions. This piece is well executed, with allover decoration, and the workmanship extends to the dragon-form handles.
Sadly, fakes and copies are an ongoing issue when it comes to antiquities. Knowledgeable collectors of Chinese famille verte will carefully examine the enameling color, the quality of the glaze and pay special attention to how delicate or primitive the workmanship of the foot rims seem to be.
Famille verte porcelain objects have remained enduringly popular due to their timeless beauty and impeccable workmanship. Most examples now on the market were originally made for export, with Western tastes in mind. They belong to a particularly rich and notable period in China’s ceramics history and are likely to be sought-after for generations to come.