Today, we revisit the Chinese Export Porcelain (CEP) reproduction ceramics now displayed or to be displayed in the future in the Washington house replica at George Washington’s Ferry Farm. We’re examining the artifacts recovered at Ferry Farm, the complete 18th century objects those artifacts represent, and the reproduction pieces inspired by these artifact sherds as well as by the complete originals. This is the final post in this three week series and in it we’ll take a look at two special styles of CEP known as imari and famille rose.
These sherds are CEP like the blue and white porcelains we wrote about in part 1 but they are in different colorways, namely “imari” (blue, red, orange and occasionally some gilt accents) and “famille rose” (pink, orange and some green). Sometimes, the exterior of teacups, bowls and saucers were painted an opaque brown, which is a style known as “Batavian.” Our fragments suggest some Batavian pieces were in use in the Washington house, as well as some that show gilding.
Buildings, people and fish were all popular motifs in imari and famille rose palettes. Famille rose was one of the earliest of the CEP decorative styles, dating as early as the 1720s. If a colonial American family managed to obtain a piece of famille rose CEP, it would be a treasured possession for generations.
Again, we have located individual pieces in period-correct shapes, that are decorated in colors and motifs that belong to the imari and famille rose palettes. While interest in all things Asian may have reached its height in 18th century Europe, the style had several resurgences over the ensuing years, including in the early 20th century, which helped us greatly in our hunt for suitable reproductions of CEP. During that time, Japanese potters began to churn out massive quantities of porcelain decorated in what became known as the “geisha girl” style, using green, orange and pink enamels. The decorations depicted geishas in gardens near buildings. While geishas may be a Japanese cultural theme, the colors, the delicate ceramic, and the inclusion of buildings and flowers all reference Chinese famille rose.
These pieces were intended for the Western market, and were often found in American dime stores, or given away as premiums in packages of tea. They were produced from the 1890s, through World War II and even during the Allied occupation of Japan. As a result, they’ve become highly collectable and we were able to find several different forms to add to our collection of stand-ins for famille rose tea wares.
Meghan Budinger
Aldrich Director of Curatorial Operations
Lives & Legacies 