Famille Verte: Chinese Porcelain in Green Enamels

The book and exhibition catalogue, Famille Verte, is about a very special kind of Chinese porcelain. As the 19th-century French name implies, the decorations are predominantly paintedin diff erent shades of bright green enamels, combined with blue, yellow, red, black and sometimes some gold. This type of porcelain was made in the period c. 1680-1725, during the reign of Emperor Kangxi(1662-1722) , when production in the porcelain kilns in Jingdezhen was at its height. As a new, modern type of ware, famille verte enjoyed a widespread appeal and was produced for the domestic Chinese market as well as for export to Europe. Simply put, famille verte wares are extraordinarily fine and beautiful objects. The colourful decorations of flowers, butterflies, mythical animals or Chinese figural scenes are rendered in painstaking detail.