Key Diagnostic Features of Kangxi Period 'Famille Verte' Porcelain, Early 18th Century (China)

Object Record Provenance: Private collection Dating: ca. 1700–1720, Kangxi reign, Qing dynasty Material: Porcelain, overglaze enamels famille verte Technique: High-fired porcelain body, polychrome overglaze enamels, iron red, copper green, cobalt blue, manganese black outlines Base and Mouth Rim Mounts: Bronze mounts on base and mouth rim, typical of 19th-century European adaptations for Chinese export wares Form: Tall baluster vase with flared neck, continuous narrative panels alternating with floral and geometric borders Decoration: Courtly and scholarly scenes in gardens, figures in traditional dress, pavilions, banana palms, rockery, floral medallions and lattice borders Historical ContextPorcelain of the Kangxi period (1662–1722) in the famille verte style was distinguished by the intense use of green, yellow, black, red, and blue overglaze enamels. These wares were created both for the imperial court and for the export market. In the 19th century, a fashion emerged in Europe for mounting old Chinese vases in bronze—both to protect the edges and to integrate them into interior décor. This piece combines authentic early 18th-century painting with characteristic European metalwork. Macro Analysis Borders: Geometric lattices with diagonal hatching, floral medallions with chrysanthemums and lotuses, yellow ground with green scrolling ornament. Figures: Faces painted with fine outlines and minimal shading; black outlines slightly blurred—a sign of high-temperature fixing. Color Scheme: Dominance of copper-green enamel, shades of yellow, iron red, and cobalt blue in clothing and architectural details. Scenes: Scholars with books, court ladies, riders—typical narrative panels of the Kangxi period. Proportions: High body with smooth transition into a narrow neck, balanced decorative zones. Microstructural Analysis Red Pigment: Copper-based enamel with crystallization, characteristic metallic copper sheen, no signs of synthetic organic dyes. Green and Yellow: Lead-silicate enamel with bubbles, uneven coloration, and local iridescence from aging. Blue: Cobalt with micro-inclusions, applied underglaze in architectural elements and overglaze in details. Outlines: Manganese-black pigment with slight bleeding, indicative of the old fixing technique. Craquelure: Localized microcracking on enamel surface, with darkening in the recesses. Diagnostic Features of Authentic Kangxi Famille Verte Dominance of copper-green palette with saturated yellow ground. Floral medallions with spiral centers in red enamel. Fine leaf shading using two shades of green. Slightly blurred manganese outlines of figures and ornaments. Small bubbles and microcraquelure in lead-silicate enamel. Narrative panels with architecture, gardens, and banana palms. European bronze mounts of the 19th century fitted to an authentic vase. Comparative Museum Examples The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York — Accession no. 1974.326.4 Victoria and Albert Museum, London — C.571-1910 Musée Guimet, Paris — Inv. G 1262(All links will be included in the final PDF document with hyperlinks to official collection records.) ConclusionBased on macro and microstructural analysis, decorative style, and technological features, this specimen corresponds to authentic Kangxi period famille verte porcelain of the early 18th century. The European bronze mounts are later additions, installed in the 19th century. The vase can be regarded as a reference example of narrative painting and ornamental borders of Kangxi famille verte for museum and scholarly purposes. Keywords Kangxi porcelain, famille verte, Qing dynasty porcelain, overglaze enamels, Chinese export porcelain, bronze mounts 康熙瓷, 五彩, 绿彩, 清代瓷器, 釉上彩, 外销瓷, 铜镶件 Author: Prof. Nona Dronova, Doctor of Technical SciencesORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0007-4867-9074License: Text © CC BY 4.0, Images © CC BY-SA 4.0