Hey everyone, this week we are talking about Chinese porcelain! There are many different types of glazes like Sancai, Famille Rose, Famille Verte, Famille Juane, Canton, Nanking, just to name a few. Luckily, we have the resources to figure that out, and it is relatively simple to identify them for the most part like Famille Rose is typically pink and floral, Famille Verte is primarily green, Famille Jaune is primarily yellow, and so on. It gets a little tricky matching date marks but there are great online databases you can access that can help and the ability to enlarge the image for detailed comparisons is a bonus. Of course, the appraisers here at Bruneau & Co. are more than happy to help you figure out what you have, so have no fear! Alas, I am not here to get into identifying date marks or glazes so let us get into the stuff that I care about the most: Symbolism. In times such as these, introducing symbolic imagery into our lives cannot hurt right? So, let us get into it! Some common symbolism found on Chinese porcelain include fish for abundance and affluence, boys at play means good fortune, lotus flowers are for purity and enlightenment, parasols represent protection and spiritual power, peaches and cranes both mean longevities, along with more prosperous symbols such as the dragon and phoenix. The two beasts quite literally represent power and auspiciousness. The dragon symbolizes masculine strength and divine rule, the main reason dragons are representative of Chinese Emperors. Phoenixes on the other hand represent feminine authority, benevolence, and beauty which is why it is often associated with the Empress of China. Bats are also a common and divine symbol that can be found throughout porcelain and other Chinese artifacts. The bat represents happiness and joy, while five bats together represent the Five Blessings, long life, wealth, health, love of virtue, and a peaceful death. There are many more symbols that can be listed, not only are there other animals, people, and mythical beasts included, different flowers also represent different things much like in western culture. Just as one example so I do not continue to bore you, chrysanthemums symbolize longevity and is considered the Flower of the Ninth Moon which is another auspicious symbol. If you have Chinese porcelain around, give it a look! You might just find something interesting or unusual hidden in the design! And rest assured that it is easy to look up meanings behind Chinese symbols, if I have the attention span to stay focused long enough to look them up, anyone can do it.
