Pair of garden stools. China, late 19th / early 20th century.
Enamelled porcelain.
Measurements: 45 x 33 cm (diameter).
Chinese stool made of porcelain and decorated with polychrome enamels in the Rose Family style, with floral motifs on pink background and white enamel with bright yellow decoration.
The Cantonese Rose Family style is characterised by the use of opaque white glaze and the predominance of light and very bright tones, especially pink and green. It is a style typical of ceramics exported to Europe, developed mainly during the second half of the 19th century. It is an ornate and highly ornamental style, usually decorated with figurative scenes, and mainly characterised by the use of a broader palette than that of the normal Rose Family, dominated by light and bright shades, mainly pinks and greens. Thanks to the discovery of the white glaze at the end of the Kangxi period (first half of the 18th century), Chinese potters broadened the palette, achieving new tonal ranges that allowed them to conform more closely to European tastes, even achieving gradations of colour. Furthermore, as can be seen here, these pieces are often enriched with gilt details, very much in keeping with Western tastes. Within the Canton Rose Family there are three styles: rose medallion, nyonya or straits and the Mandarin style. These pieces were made in Jingdezhen, the most important centre of pottery and porcelain production in China, from where they were brought undecorated to Canton, an important port where they were decorated with enamels and sold to foreign customers.