In the Collection of the Hon. E. Evan Charteris.
Plate 101.—Vase with panels of landscapes and po ku symbols in famille verte enamels
In a ground of underglaze blue trellis pattern. K’ang Hsi period (1662–1722). Height 32 inches. Dresden Collection.
Plate 102.—Two Dishes of famille verte Porcelain in the Dresden Collection. K’ang Hsi period (1662–1722).
Fig. 1.—With birds on a flowering branch, brocade borders. Artist’s signature in the field. Diameter 16 inches.
Fig. 2.—With ladies on a garden terrace. Diameter 21 inches.
The familiar phrase, famille verte, was first used by Jacquemart as a class name for the enamelled porcelains on which green plays a leading part. According to this definition it should include the Wan li wu ts’ai, the Ming enamelled porcelain, as well as much of the on-biscuit enamelled wares, in addition to the typical K’ang Hsi enamelled porcelain to which usage has specially consecrated the term. A direct descendant of the Wan li wu ts’ai, the famille verte includes the combinations of underglaze blue with the translucent on-glaze enamels green, yellow, and aubergine, and the coral red (derived from iron), the French rouge de fer, which is so thin that it resembles a pigment rather than a vitreous enamel. Add to these the brown black pigment, which is used to trace the outlines of the design and with a covering of green to form the green black, and we have one type of famille verte which differs in no essential from the Wan Li prototype. It is, in fact, no easy matter to find the line which divides the two groups. The nature of the ware and the style of the painting are the best guides; and the study of the K’ang Hsi blue and white will be a great help in this delicate task.
But the real K’ang Hsi famille verte, which we might call the K’ang hsi wu ts’ai, is distinguished by the addition of an overglaze blue enamel which enhanced the brilliancy of the colour scheme, and at the same time removed the necessity of using underglaze and overglaze colours together.[308] It is not to be supposed, however, that the underglaze blue disappeared entirely from the group. The old types were always dear to the Chinese mind, and there were frequent revivals of these in addition to the special wares,[309] such as the “Chinese Imari,” in which this kind of blue was essential. There are indeed examples of both blues on the same pieces.