In fact, the world was hooked on the array of forms, colors, and patterns that Chinese artisans had developed over hundreds of years. When a new palette evolved in the early 18th century adding pink to the rainbow of enamels, Europeans couldn't get enough of it. The French classified the group as "famille rose" in the 19th century, and its export lasted into the early 20th century. Today, famille rose's mystique persists as collectors vie for pieces at auctions.

"Famille rose is a huge umbrella term categorizing a piece of porcelain by its color and not by its pattern style or period of production," says Dinah Moog of Atlanta's former H. Moog Antique Porcelains. "Most Chinese porcelain made for export -- if it wasn't the popular blue-and-white developed in the Ming Dynasty -- was famille rose. Other famille color groups existed at the same time -- famille verte, famille noire, and famille jaune -- but these were not exported from China in nearly the quantity of famille rose."

All the colorful famille porcelains used pigments made from metallic oxides, such as iron, copper, or manganese, which were called enamels. Pigments associated with the famille rose palette were a major innovation that ceramics scholars have long attributed to European influence. The characteristic ruby pink was thought to be derived from gold by a German technique known as "purple of Cassius" introduced to the imperial Chinese court by Jesuit missionaries.

Recent scientific studies, however, suggest that pink did not originate in Europe. "The colors were developed in the 1720s and possibly in part influenced by European enameling on glass and porcelain," says Ron Fuchs, associate curator of ceramics at Winterthur. "Because these colors were softer, more naturalistic, and able to be shaded, they became the most popular overglaze enamels used on export porcelain from the 1730s through the early 20th century."

Although the vast majority of Chinese porcelain made for export over time was blue and white, famille rose survives in quantity because it was expensive to make and considered precious. The pink family, particularly exemplified by the Rose Medallion pattern, reached its zenith in 19th-century America. With the passage of the McKinley Tariff of 1890 requiring the country of origin to be stamped on all U.S. imports, interest began to wane. Rose medallion marked "China" or "Made in China" is common but without the collecting cachet of its earlier cousins.

JUST THE FACTS

Country of origin: China.

Time period: Made in the Qing Dynasty between the early 18th and early 20th centuries. Its rose-gold pigment is thought to have been first used during the reign of Kangxi, circa 1722.

Identifying characteristics: Pink in a range of shades is dominant but other enamel colors, such as green, red, blue, yellow, purple, and black, and gilding may also be included.

Where to find it: Just about anywhere -- antique shops, auctions, flea markets. But to avoid fakes, rely on a reputable dealer in Chinese export porcelain.

Authenticity: With a surge of interest from buyers in China in the past five years, prices are escalating and forgeries more prevalent. Like all Chinese export porcelain, famille rose should show wear and staining from age on the flat bottom where the piece rests. If the pattern contains gilding, age would give it a bronze tint; gold with a clear, plastic quality indicates recent application.

Cost: Runs from priceless for a piece of imperial lineage to the sleeper in an estate sale of grandma's knickknacks. In valuing all types of Chinese export, worth is based on the piece's rarity and condition.

PATTERNS IN THE PINK

Famille rose featured patterns that changed with fashion over 200 years. The patterns were influenced by European styles made at places such as Meissen and Limoges.

Mandarin, the earliest pattern, with origins in the 18th century, depicts Chinese figures wearing period garb in domestic scenes or landscapes. Borders around the design can help date a piece.

Auspicious Figures, dating from the early 1840s to the late 1860s, shows a complex iconography of historical characters and elements of the Hundred Antiques radiating outward from a figure in a central medallion.

Rose Medallion, wildly popular from the 1850s until the early 20th century and the easiest pattern to date, features four quadrants, or reserves, around a center medallion. Of its many variations, two are most common. In the first, the surrounding reserves contain flowers, fruit, birds, butterflies, or insects. In the other, floral reserves alternate with reserves depicting Chinese figures or land- or waterscapes.

Sacred Bird and Flowers, later 19th century, has an overall pattern of birds and flowers.