Famille Rose

Centuries ago, Europeans believed that Chinese-made porcelain was so miraculous it would react to poisoned food by cracking or changing color. Enchantment with export porcelain waned only slightly after a German chemist learned how to make it in the early 1700s. "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." 

JUST THE FACTS

What to look for: 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.

Condition: Famille rose can be found just about anywhere -- antiques shops, auctions, flea markets. But to avoid fakes, rely on a reputable dealer. With a surge of interest from buyers in China in the past five years, prices are escalating and forgeries are more prevalent.

Price range: 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.

NextAntique Barometers