Hi can anyone tell me if this is rose canton?
Thank you
This would be called 'rose medallion', I suppose...
My understanding of Canton Rose is there would not be any people or birds in the decoration and the decoration would be rose color.
'Rose' here is not to be mixed up with the color, which would be pointing to 'famille rose'. Here it is the flower...The 'rose medallion' seems to refer to porcelains of this type having a round medallion shaped window in the center with a rose depicted inside. That is how I understand it. Otherwise, why should they use the word medallion. I'm not a specialist in western nomenclature, though.
You are right Peter, but the question was is this rose canton, it is my understanding that this would be Mandarin rose and not Canton rose, two different Chinese exports, I have seen the Canton rose in museums and there are flowers that are rose color, I'm pretty sure this is Mandarin, and the decoration is called rose Medallion.
I do not know anything about 'mandarin' rose. That is, I am not aware of a differentiating term for canton wares with and without people in the decoration. Mandarin usually means there are human figures, especially those in official attire. The term is widely used for items showing people in official Qing attire, made in the Qianlong dynasty. I may be wrong but I believe many of those were made at Jingdezhen kilns.
The word mandarin (mandaren) is said to come from a word foreigners used for referring 'officials' of the Qing government. The Qing dynasty was established by people from Manchuria, and many top officials were actually manchus. Daren is a honorific for a superior or government official.
Thus the use of 'Mandarin Porcelain' would originally not mean any specific type of porcelain, Canton or other, but would apply only those pieces with people, especially to those in Qing official attire.
Does it in todauy's usage also apply to other export enamel wares which show people in normal attire (Ming attire)?
Canton (today: Guangzhou) was the main export place from the 18th century until about mid 19th century. The term Canton is used mainly for porcelains painted in the factories of the foreign traders near Canton. Whether blue/white or color. Color wares were painted in Canton with a different type of enamel, which differed from those used in Jingdezhen. Thus 'Canton' should originally be a general term designating porcelain painted in Canton, not a specific style. Some porcelain styles were produced both in Canton and Jingdezhen.
Actually, I am not so sure about this terminology. Maybe someone can explain what today's accepted, common usage is.
I would also be interested to know if later made canton style enamels, made in the period from the Guangxu to early republic actually were made in Canton, or elsewhere? Did the factories operate again after the foreigners were driven away from Guangzhou in the 19th century?
Thanks Peter for setting the record straight, here in the west you have a lot of so called experts and it is bad especially when we are all learning from each other, thanks again.
Wow thank you both. I have quite a few of there dishes all a little different but same look. I think from this post I can figure out which is which.
You guys are both very knowledgeable. Its amazing how much you know.
Thank you