Rose Family Vase. China, Qing dynasty, Tung Chih period, second half of the 19th century.

Rose Family Vase. China, Qing dynasty, Tung Chih period, second half of the 19th century.
Hand-painted white porcelain. Circular wooden stand.
Legend inscribed on one side.
With certificate of authenticity.
Measurements: 34 x 18 x 18 cm; 4,5 x 18 x 18 cm (stand).

Chinese vase made of glazed porcelain from the time of the emperor Tongzhi, Qing dynasty. It has been decorated with courtly figures on landscape backgrounds following the Rose Family style. The Rose Family style originated at the end of the Kangxi period, emperor of the Qing dynasty who reigned between 1662 and 1722. The new ornamental style is based on the introduction of new enamels, the most famous of which is pink, which will give its name to the style. Other new colors are also added, such as opaque yellow, white and the now independent black (until then, to fix the black glaze, it had to be covered with a glaze of another color, usually translucent green). Technically, the most important is opaque white, since it could be mixed with other glazes to achieve a wide range of pastel tones, as well as allowing a smooth tonal gradation that made it possible to successfully imitate Western painting. What defines the Pink Family is not, therefore, the predominance of that color, but this new polychrome. The new style led to the abandonment of the one that predominated until then, the Green Family, characterized by the abundance of this color and the use of more watery glazes.