Rose enamels are the opaque pink and related pastel overglaze enamels used on Chinese porcelain from the early eighteenth century, giving their name to the famille rose palette. The characteristic rose-pink colour is derived from colloidal gold, and the palette, which developed under European influence, allowed painters to achieve soft shading effects not possible with the earlier famille verte colours.
Rose enamels were developed at the imperial workshops during the late Kangxi period and reached great refinement under the Yongzheng and Qianlong emperors, when delicately painted bowls, dishes and vases were produced for the court. The palette was soon applied to export porcelain made for Europe, including armorial services and dinnerwares, and in the nineteenth century to the densely decorated Canton wares sold through the China trade. The same technique was also used on enamelled metalwork. Collectors value fine, even painting, subtle gradations of colour and well-preserved enamels, since overglaze colours can wear, flake or fade with use and washing. Reign marks must be treated with caution, as many later pieces carry earlier marks. Large famille rose vases and chargers remain popular decorative statements in traditional interiors.
