Written By: Neil Greco, Birchknoll Antiques 

Chinese pottery and porcelain is so steeped in history that it would be impossible to cover such a vast array of information in a single article. To narrow the scope, this article will review patterns and forms made for the American markets from the late 1700’s to the establishment of export laws in 1891. We will focus on manufacturing designs representing Canton, Fitzhugh and Rose Medallion.

A Brief History
It is widely believed that pottery was invented by the Chinese as early as 5,000 B.C. By the 13th century, “blue and white” pottery appeared and by the 17th century, Chinese porcelains were styled and patterned for Western cultures.

The development of export porcelains from China originated with early sea trade to the West dating back to the early 16th century. From one of the first European ports in China, established by the Portuguese in Macao dating in the early 1500’s, organized trade rapidly increased in the main trading center of Canton (or Quandong) growing to include merchants from Holland, Sweden, France,

England and Ultimately the United States.
In 1600, Queen Elizabeth I established The East India Trading Company. It was originally designed to manage the flow of exports between China and Britain. With the capture of two Portuguese ships in 1604, the Dutch increased awareness and demand for export porcelains in Holland and across Europe.  Some of the merchandise from these ships are said to have been purchased for Henry IV of France and James I of England. In the first half of the 17th century, over 3 million pieces of Chinese porcelain reached Europe.
 
Over the next hundred years (1650-1750), the market for export Chinese porcelain grew at a phenomenal pace, European porcelain makers tried to compete but the demand for fine export porcelains did not weaken. As the Revolutionary War comes to a close, early American entrepreneurs begin to seek trade with the East.  The first clipper ship of American registry to participate in the China trade was the Empress of China, which landed in Macao, near Canton, in 1784.  One member of the network of prominent families who spearheaded the expansion of U.S. trade with China was Captain Robert Bennet Forbes from Boston (optional picture: Forbes).  Several pieces pictured in this article are attributed to his personal collection acquired on his many trips to the East.

At this stage of the developing Chinese export porcelain industry, England had a highly refined porcelain industry of its own while factories in the United States had little success in large scale porcelain production. During the first half of the 19th century the United States government encouraged China trade. These elements account for the quantity of merchandise delivered to American shores.  It was also in this period that standard patterns such as Canton, Rose Medallion and Fitzhugh were shipped in quantity. In 1891, U.S custom laws were established where markings “China” and “Made in China” were required, opening yet another chapter in the book of export Chinese porcelains.

Patterns and Forms
With the maturity of Chinese porcelains, the mid-1700’s saw a wonderful exchange of designs between China and the west.  The shapes of many plates, pitchers and other forms of the time show influence from re-interpreted European chinoiserie design as well as derivations from European silver well before mass production began in China.  Much of the increased demand for export Chinese porcelains to the U.S. can be attributed to the design influence from western styles interpreted by the Chinese and returned in desirable styles and patterns.

Canton, sometimes referred to as blue and white, (picture 1: Canton Plates) was manufactured some 400 miles north of Canton at Ching-Te Chen, and then sent by the East India Trading Company to the seaside port of Canton for the final decorating process. The Canton design typically embodies a large center design surrounded by houses, mountains and a bridge all encompassed with a border. Early Canton is heavier in weight whereas later Canton is thinner and also displays a straight line border. On occasion, we find rare versions of Canton with a gold edge added – considered Imperial Canton.

Nanking offers subtle differences in the shapes and is more readily differentiated by finely executed patterns in the decorations themselves.  Nanking is typically a slightly darker shade of blue and shows a more complex design incorporating people standing on a bridge. (picture 2: Nanking; picture 3: Nanking bridge)  As discussed in the book “Chinese Export Porcelain” by Herbert, Peter and Nancy Schiffer, it is believed that Nanking may have been copied from the English Caughley transfer dishes dating almost twenty years earlier (1780’s).

Although produced for only a few decades, the Fitzhugh pattern is quite possibly the highest quality export porcelain manufactured almost exclusively for export during the turn of the 18th century. The pattern consists of fours groups of flowers or plants placed around a central design. The border is easily identified with its design of butterflies, geometric patterns vegetation and octagonal designs.  Although typically found in blue it was also produced in gold, green, blue, yellow, black, orange and sepia enamels as well as in combinations.

On occasion, American eagles adorned the center of Fitzhugh designs. Here (picture 4: tea bowl and saucer) we see a Fitzhugh Tea Bowl and Saucer set attributed to the Forbes Collection. 

Consistent with the various Canton styles and forms, the “Rose” pattern with polychrome decorations emerged between 1840 and 1880.  These patterns consisted of Rose Medallion, Rose Mandarin, Rose Canton, the Cabbage and the Bird and Butterfly.

Carrying the widest variety of patterns and styles and considered to be of the highest quality, Rose Medallion has four alternating panels around a central gold medallion (picture 5: Tea Pot) enclosing a bird and a tree peony. The four alternating sections consist of groups of birds, flowers and butterflies, and groups of people in a house. Separating the panels are vines and flying bats – a Chinese good luck symbol.

Where the groups of flowers and people do not alternate, and only people are depicted, the pattern is considered Mandarin (picture 6: Mandarin).  One of the easiest ways to determine the quality of a piece of Rose Medallion is in the detail and weight.  Higher quality Rose Medallion pieces exhibit gold detail in the lady’s hair (picture 7: gold hair), the birds and butterflies are more realistic and the detail inside the medallion itself offers better execution.  The earlier Rose Medallion is typically heavier and thicker than later exports.
The Butterfly pattern is easy to distinguish (picture 8: shrimp dish), as it has butterflies throughout the pattern. The shapes are the same as Canton, but without as many types. This was mostly produced mid-century, and is very colorful.

Discerning Old from New
This is the challenging aspect of buying and collecting Chinese export porcelains.  Some of the designs and patterns (Canton; Rose Medallion) reviewed in this article are still being (re)produced today.  In accordance with the export laws established by the U.S., pieces dated after 1891 are required to show their country of origin on the bottom. A piece marked China or Made in China indicates that it is a later piece.  So that helps.  Prior to that however, export porcelains intended for the western world rarely carry marks on the base of the piece.

It is best to become familiar with the basic styles and forms as they are repetitive across each of the patterns or designs. Items made for western markets are typically deep and flat plates, chargers, tea and coffee cups, soup tureens, jugs and pitchers.  In fact, many items made for the U.S market are consistent with earlier items fashioned from silver or pewter.

It is also important to pay particular attention to the quality of the workmanship and the detail in the artwork painted on to the porcelains themselves. An easy example of this is the gold strokes in the woman’s hair in a piece of Rose Medallion.  Weight can also be a factor but this did tend to move from light to heavy then back to light as shipping methods changed.  In the polychrome designs, the colors of period pieces tend to be less vibrant than the blues, oranges, greens and reds used in today’s dyes. It is also important to look closely at the glaze.  Early pieces of Canton have (what has been termed in the west) an oatmeal looking base.  There are frequently slight imperfections in the glaze from the older kilns used to fire the porcelain.  Reproductions or even porcelains made during the established of the Republic of China (early 1900’s) were fired in newly built kilns (at least relative to the kilns from the previous 5,000 years).

Reference Books and Web Sites
Chinese Export Porcelains; Standard patterns and forms, 1780 to 1880.  Hebert, Peter and Nancy Schiffer.  Probably the most referenced book on the subject with over 1,000 illustrations. 

http://www.gotheborg.com/  By far the best reference web site I’ve come across.  The breadth of information covered on this site is unbelievable.

http://www.daybreaknuclear.com/bortolot_daybreak_frameset.html   This may be of interest to the serious collector in search of authentic dating.

Special thanks to Chris Sullivan, Director of the Captain Forbes House Museum, for sharing the wonderful collection and allowing The Antiquer to acquire rare photographs.    www.forbeshouse.org