The painted porcelain of the Qing Dynasty was rich in content and could be categorised by its decorative techniques into underglaze painting, overglaze painting, and a combination of the two. Among the painted porcelain pieces from the Kangxi imperial kiln, blue and white ware and polychrome ware achieved the highest artistic accomplishments. 1
Blue and White Cups with Flowers of Twelve Months (12 pcs)
青花十二月花卉杯 ”大清康熙年制”六字双行楷书款（12件）
Porcelain | Kangxi Reign (1662-1722), Qing Dynasty (1644-1912) | Mouth Diameter: 6.6cm | Liaoning Provincial Museum Collection, on loan to Nanshan Museum. 瓷器｜清康熙 （在位公元1662年-1722年）｜口径：6.6厘米｜辽宁省博物馆藏2
青花十二月花卉杯（12件）
The Blue and White Cups with Flowers of Twelve Months are a set of twelve porcelain cups, each representing a month of the lunar calendar and decorated with a specific flower and accompanying poem. These cups, often referred to as “十二花神杯”, “Month Cups” or “Monthly Flower Cups,” are a fine example of Kangxi-era porcelain, known for their thinness, delicate glaze, and the combination of painting, calligraphy, and seal craft. 3,4
Blue and White Ware 青花瓷
Blue and white ware is a type of porcelain that is painted with cobalt oxide on a plain, unglazed body. This is then covered with a clear glaze and fired at a high temperature of around 1,300°C in a single kiln firing.
Renowned for its outstanding underglaze painting technique and aesthetic beauty, blue and white ware 青花瓷 has been highly esteemed and widely exported.5 Since the Yuan and Ming dynasties, blue and white ware has always held a dominant position in the production of decorated ceramics.
Poems on Blue and White Cups with Flowers of Twelve Months6
Upon entering the Qing Dynasty, blue and white ware remained a major product in Jingdezhen’s porcelain production. The craftsmanship of blue and white ware reached its zenith during the reigns of Kangxi, Yongzheng, and Qianlong, thanks to inherited techniques and the artistic patronage of the emperors.
Polychrome Cups with Flowers of Twelve Months (4 pcs) 五彩十二月花卉杯（4件）
Porcelain | Kangxi Reign (1662-1722), Qing Dynasty (1644-1912) | Mouth Diameter: 6.4cm | Liaoning Provincial Museum Collection. 瓷器｜清康熙 （在位公元1662年-1722年）｜口径：6.4厘米｜辽宁省博物馆藏7
The cup shape, layout of the design, poetic inscriptions, and mark script are all consistent with the Blue and white Cups with Flowers of Twelve Months from the Kangxi reign, suggesting they originate from the same design template and were fired during the same period. Compared to the blue and white variety, polychrome cups require two firings, making the production process more complex and challenging. 8,9
Contending Colours Lidded Jar with Chrysanthemum Medallion Patterns 斗彩团菊纹盖罐
Porcelain | Yongzheng Reign (1723-1735), Qing Dynasty (1644-1912) | Liaoning Provincial Museum Collection. 瓷器｜清雍正 （在位公元1723-1735年）｜ 辽宁省博物馆藏10
The Yongzheng imperial kiln is renowned for contending colours 鬥彩 (lit. joined or interlocking colours, referred to as “polychrome ware in the Chenghua reign”). This technique involves using underglaze blue outlines to define a design, which is then filled with overglaze enamel colours before a second firing at a lower temperature. The technique is known for its vibrant and contrasting colours, creating a unique visual effect.11
Meiping Vase12 with Winter Landscape in Yangcai Painted Enamels (2 pieces) 洋彩冬景山水梅瓶（二件）
Porcelain | Qianlong Reign (1736-1795), Qing Dynasty (1644-1912) | H: 19.8cm, Mouth Diameter: 3.6 cm, Bottom Diameter: 5.0 cm | National Palace Museum Collection. 瓷器｜清乾隆七年（公元1742年）｜高19.8公分 口徑3.6公分 底徑5.0公分｜台北故宮博物院藏
The Qianlong imperial kiln is notable for its unique traditional blue and white ware and polychrome ware, as well as famille rose (yangcai 洋彩, aka fencai 粉彩) ware13, 14, particularly famille rose on coloured grounds, all of which reached unprecedented heights in history.15
Bowl with “Three Plenty” Motif on a Polychrome Red Ground in Yangcai Painted Enamels (2 pieces) 洋彩紅錦地花卉三多碗（二件）
Porcelain | Qianlong Reign (1736-1795), Qing Dynasty (1644-1912) | H: 5.2cm, Mouth Diameter: 12.0 cm, Base Diameter: 4.2 cm | National Palace Museum Collection. 瓷器｜清乾隆 （在位公元1736年-1765年）｜高5.2公分 口徑12.0公分 底徑4.2公分｜台北故宮博物院藏
洋彩紅錦地花卉三多碗（二件）(故瓷17340-17341)
Famille rose porcelain decorated on coloured grounds is a type of Chinese porcelain that features the distinctive famille rose enamels, but instead of being painted on a white background, the designs are applied to a coloured ground like yellow, blue, pink, coral red (like these bowls), light green, or “cafe au lait”. This technique became popular during the Qianlong period (1736-1795) and involved intricate designs filled in within outlines, showcasing a wider range of colours.16
Tea Bowl with “Three Friends in Tthe Winter” Motif in Falangcai Painted Enamels (2 pieces) 琺瑯彩歲寒三友茶碗（二件）
Porcelain | Qianlong Reign (1736-1795), Qing Dynasty (1644-1912) | H: 5.8cm, Mouth Diameter: 11.2 cm | National Palace Museum Collection. 瓷器｜清乾隆 （在位公元1736年-1765年）｜高5.8公分 口徑11.2公分｜台北故宮博物院藏
琺瑯彩歲寒三友茶碗（二件）（故瓷17032-17033）
Falangcai 珐琅彩, which can be translated as ‘foreign colours’, refers to porcelains painted in the imperial workshops of the Forbidden City in Beijing with enamels partly introduced from the West. The production of falangcai started in the 35th year of the Kangxi reign, corresponding to 1696. Made exclusively for the imperial court and royal family, falangcai was in limited production due to its high cost.17
It is very difficult to differentiate falangcai and famille rose since the visual appearance of those opaque enamels of both falangcai and fencai is similar. Experienced experts can tell the difference by handling the pieces to feel the textures and see the nuances in colours. In most cases, falangcai is applied to smaller ware, decorated with some motifs or colours exclusively for falangcai. Another way to tell the difference to see the mark and period. Falangcai porcelain must come with a unique mark with a rough surface, instead of the mark and period that we find in other blue and white porcelain.
About Chinese National Treasure Series
中華國寶系列 Chinese National Treasure series feature specific artefacts and relics from museums all around the world that are historically significant to be considered a National Treasure. The series covers the 5,000 years of Chinese civilisation from Neolithic periods before the Xia dynasty (c. 2070-1600 BC) to modern day.
Footnotes:
- Museum Information Plaque, Jan 2025 ↩︎
- These artefacts were from “Special Exhibition: Refined Radiance of Imperial Porcelain – Masterpieces of the Kangxi, Yongzheng and Qianlong Reigns from the Collection of Liaoning Provincial Museum 榷清陶晖 – 辽宁省博物馆藏清三代官窑瓷器展” at Nanshan Museum 南山博物馆 (10.25.2024 – 02.23.2025) ↩︎
- http://www.thelongmuseum.org/en/list-317/detail-1755.html ↩︎
- 杯撇口作“仰钟式”，圈足，胎釉莹润，胎薄玲珑，构图清新，勾勒细腻，青花发色青翠，层次丰富，意蕴古雅。正面绘月令花卉，背面题相应诗句并落“赏”字篆印，将诗、书、画、印融于一体，极富文人气息。“十二花神杯”是清康熙官窑创烧的名品，根据传统花朝节的传说选取百花中代表农历十二月份的月令花卉绘制而成。因南北气候的差异导致各地流传的十二月令花不尽相同，康熙十二花神杯所绘十二月令花皆为北方熟悉常见者，所题诗句多引自《全唐诗》。有五彩及青花品种，后于雍正至民国亦多有仿制。http://www.thelongmuseum.org/list-317/detail-1755.html ↩︎
- Museum Information Plaque, Jan 2025 ↩︎
- 杯一套由12 件组成。均撇口、深弧腹、圈足。内、外和圈足内均施白釉，足端无釉。胎体轻薄，釉面光亮。外壁一面以青花五彩装饰，描绘代表12 个月中某个月的花卉，另一面题写与花卉相对应的诗句。分别为：
一月，迎春花，题“金英翠萼带春寒，黄色花中有几般”；
二月，杏花，题“清香和宿雨，佳色出晴烟”；
三月，桃花，题“风花新社燕，时节旧春农”；
四月，牡丹花，题“晓艳远分金掌露，暮香深惹玉堂风”；
五月，石榴花，题“露色珠帘映，香风粉壁遮”；
六月，荷花，题“根是泥中玉，心承露下珠”；
七月，兰花，题“广殿轻香发，高台远吹吟”；
八月，桂花，题“枝生无限月，花满自然秋”；
九月，菊花，题“千载白衣酒，一生青女香”；
十月，月季花，题“不随千种尽，独放一年红”；
十一月，梅花，题“素艳雪凝树，清香风满枝”；
十二月，水仙花，题“春风弄玉来清昼，夜月凌波上大堤”。
诗末均钤青花篆体“赏”字方形闲章。
这些诗句基本都取自《全唐诗》中所收录唐代诗人作品。除了十月和十二月的诗文待查以外，其他均已查明出处。
一月迎春花诗句取自《全唐诗》（卷四四八）白居易《玩迎春花赠杨郎中》诗；
二月杏花诗句取自《全唐诗》（卷二三八）钱起《酬长孙绎蓝溪寄杏》诗；
三月桃花诗句取自《全唐诗》（卷五五八）薛能《桃花》诗；
四月牡丹诗句取自《全唐诗》（卷五六五）韩琮《牡丹》诗；
五月石榴花诗取自《全唐诗》（卷一一八）孙逖《同和咏楼前海石榴二首》诗；
六月荷花诗句取自《全唐诗》（卷五七〇）李群玉《莲叶》诗；
七月兰花诗取自《全唐诗》（卷六十）李峤《兰》诗；
八月桂花诗取自《全唐诗》（卷六十）李峤《桂》诗；
九月菊花诗取自《全唐诗》（卷六五九）罗隐《菊》诗；
十一月梅花诗句取自《全唐诗》（卷五二九）许浑《闻薛先辈陪大夫看早梅因寄》诗。
杯外底均署青花楷体“大清康熙年制”六字双行外围双圈款。
此种套杯属于酒杯，在清代宫廷留存瓷器中数量较大，其品质高度统一、修坯规整、胎薄体轻、纹饰规范、款识精致、字体标准，代表了康熙朝景德镇御窑厂制作青花五彩薄胎瓷的最高水平。杯的造型、画面布局、诗句内容、款识字体等，均与康熙青花十二月花卉图题诗句杯一致，两者应出自同一画样，烧造于同一时期。与青花品种相比，五彩杯需要两次烧成，制作工艺更为复杂，难度更大。https://www.dpm.org.cn/collection/ceramic/227074.html ↩︎ - These artefacts were from “Special Exhibition: Refined Radiance of Imperial Porcelain – Masterpieces of the Kangxi, Yongzheng and Qianlong Reigns from the Collection of Liaoning Provincial Museum 榷清陶晖 – 辽宁省博物馆藏清三代官窑瓷器展” at Nanshan Museum 南山博物馆 (10.25.2024 – 02.23.2025) ↩︎
- These cups are glazed with white glaze both inside and out, including the inside of the ring foot. The body is light and thin, with a bright glaze surface. One side of the outer wall is painted in polychrome with underglaze blue, depicting flowers representing different months, while the other side features corresponding poems. The four cups in this set illustrate apricot blossoms, chrysanthemum, plum blossoms, and daffodils, along with poems. The base bears a six-character regular script mark in underglaze blue reading “Made in the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty”, enclosed within a double circle. These are wine cups, and they were preserved in large quantities in the Qing imperial court. They exemplify uniform quality, precise craftsmanship, thin and light bodies, standard decorations, exquisite marks, and standardized script, representing the highest level of polychrome with underglaze blue thin-bodied porcelain produced by the imperial kilns at Jingdezhen during the Kangxi reign. [Museum Information Plaque, Jan 2025] ↩︎
- 花卉杯内、外和圈足内均施白釉。胎体轻薄，釉面光亮。外壁一面以青花五彩装饰，描绘代表月份的花卉，另一面题写花卉对应的诗句。此四件花卉杯分别绘有杏花、菊花、梅花、水仙花四种及对应诗文。底部书青花双圈“大清康熙年制”六字楷书款。此种套杯属酒杯，在清代宫廷留存瓷器中数量较大，其品质高度统一、修坯规整、胎薄体轻、纹饰规范、款识精致、字体标准，代表了康熙朝景德镇御窑厂制作青花五彩薄胎瓷的最高水平。杯的造型、画面布局、诗句内容、款识字体等，均与康熙青花十二月花卉杯一致，两者应出自同一画样，烧造于同一时期。与青花品种相比，五彩杯需要两次烧成，制作工艺更为复杂，难度更大。 [Museum Information Plaque, Jan 2025] ↩︎
- 直口，肩略阔，腹微缩，足至底下凹入；盖顶平坦，边缘圆直。
纹饰均以青花勾勒，在白釉上施以彩色填染。纹饰以圆形菊花纹为中心，盖顶一组，腹壁上以三角式排列，间以缠枝番莲纹；肩上及足上饰环带状梅花纹。底书青花双圈“大清雍正年制” 大字双行楷书款。
The jar features a straight mouth, slightly broad shoulders, a gently tapering body, and a recessed base. The lid is flat-topped with rounded straight edges. The decorative patterns are outlined in underglaze blue and filled with colored enamels on a white glaze background. The primary motif is a circular chrysanthemum design: one medallion on the lid and a triangular arrangement of medallions around the body, interspersed with scrolling passionflower patterns. The shoulder and base feature bands of plum blossom patterns. All patterns are delineated in underglaze blue, with only the centers of the flowers highlighted in yellow. On the base, within a double circle is a six-character, two-line mark in regular script in underglaze blue, reading “Made in the Yongzheng reign of the Qing Dynasty” [Museum Information Plaque, Jan 2025] ↩︎ - https://theme.npm.edu.tw/exh111/ArtisticStyle/en/page-4.html ↩︎
- A meiping is a type of vase in Chinese ceramics. It is traditionally used to display branches of plum blossoms. The meiping was first made of stoneware during the Tang dynasty. It was originally used as a wine vessel, but since the Song dynasty it also became popular as a plum vase and got its name “meiping”.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meiping ↩︎
- Fencai (粉彩), corresponding to the ‘famille rose’ palette, means ‘soft colours’. Derived from falangcai, fencai was introduced in the mid-Kangxi period. It is mixed with iron powder and a substance called poli bai (meaning ‘glass white). The new opaque colours enabled painters to blend tints to create a multitude of shades and hues. Famille rose enamel ware allows a greater range of colour and tone than was previously possible, enabling the depiction of more complex images, including flowers, figures and insects. ↩︎
- 侈口短頸，器腹上豐下斂，平底，為梅瓶器型。器表以透明及半透明琺瑯白料為背景地，上以淡赭、墨彩、玻璃白料畫冬季雪景山水，漁翁披簑衣獨坐舟上垂釣，灰濛冰寒的氣候以吹釉技法吹出厚薄不同的釉層來呈現，技法純熟精湛。另一面隸書題詩文：「吳天楓葉落，六出雨霏霏。獨有江湖客，飄然風雪磯。披簑不知冷，把釣欲忘歸。彷彿富春畔，伊人是也非。」其下硃紅描繪「樂善堂」、「保合太和」、「萬邦咸寧」三印。此對構圖章法一致的洋彩冬景山水梅瓶，民國十三年(1924)於紫禁城承乾宮初次公開展覽，當時訂名為「寒江獨釣梅瓶」。https://digitalarchive.npm.gov.tw/Collection/Detail/23696?dep=U ↩︎
- 碗，侈口，深弧壁，圈足。全器以釉上洋彩為飾。外壁施紫紅彩，彩釉鉤繪四組圖案式花卉，外壁隙地及圈足錐剔鳳尾形卷草錦地紋。內底彩繪折枝桃、石榴及單顆佛手的三多紋樣。外底書「大清乾隆年製」三行青花篆款。https://digitalarchive.npm.gov.tw/Collection/Detail/27772?dep=U ↩︎
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Famille_rose#:~:text=The%20famille%20rose%20enamels%20allowed,declined%20after%20the%20Qianlong%20period. ↩︎
- During the Qing dynasty, most of the imperial ware were fired in kilns in Jingdezhen, an important centre in Jiangxi province. But that’s not the case for falangcai porcelain. The production process was more complicated. The design of Falangcai porcelain was done by court painters whereas the white pottery was picked out from those top-quality ones produced in Jingdezhen. The pottery was then transported to the imperial workshop of the Forbidden City in Beijing. The painting, decoration, colouring and firing were all done in the court by using falangcai enamels imported from the West. The semi-opaque vitreous characteristic of falangcai further enriches the design with different shades of colours, manifesting the multiple layers of paints on falangcai porcelains.
Falangcai was further developed during the Yongzheng reign (1723-1735). Besides importing enamels from the West, the imperial workshop was keen on innovation and was able to synthesize their own enamels domestically. They also had a breakthrough in their firing technique from the experience of working on exported enamels. Therefore, by the 6th year of Yongle, the imperial workshop developed new colours that had not been created with imported enamels. https://en.thevalue.com/articles/yongzheng-famille-rose-quali-bowls-bonhams ↩︎
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