18th Century Chinese Export Coral & Puce Porcelain Tea Service

Details

Description

Coral Radiance: Chinese Export Fish-Scale Tea Service

Object: Large Tea and Coffee Service (Partial)
Origin: Jingdezhen, China (decorated for the … Read more Coral Radiance: Chinese Export Fish-Scale Tea Service

Object: Large Tea and Coffee Service (Partial)
Origin: Jingdezhen, China (decorated for the European market)
Date: Circa 1750-1765 (Qianlong Period)
Medium: Hard-Paste Porcelain, Overglaze Coral-Red Enamel, Polychrome Enamels, and Gilding
Decoration: Coral-colored fish-scale ground (Diamine pattern) with shaped panels of puce flowers, bordered in underglaze blue and gilt.
Teapot Height: 5 inches (12.7 cm).

This attractive and rare Chinese Export Porcelain Tea Service is a superb illustration of the luxury market during the mid-18th century. Produced during the celebrated Qianlong Period, the service features a distinctive and complex coral-colored fish-scale ground, a pattern known technically as Diamine. This dense, intricate background required multiple firings and careful application of the difficult coral-red enamel, signifying the set's high status upon export to Europe.

The main decorative fields are reserved in elegant shaped panels painted with delicate puce flowers, all bordered by fine underglaze blue lines highlighted with gold gilt. This combination of Chinese enamel work, Japanese-inspired paneling, and a European Rococo sensibility made such services highly desirable in the West. Pieces like this were commissioned specifically to grace the elaborate tea tables of wealthy European and American homes, where the consumption of tea was a defining ritual of social standing.

Current Service Composition

The service is a testament to its long history, retaining a wide range of pieces, including:

Teapot and Cover: 1 piece (Good condition)

Slop Bowl: 1 piece (Good condition)

Covered Teapoy (Caddy): 1 piece (Good condition)

Covered Milk Jug: 1 piece (Good condition)

Spoon Tray: 1 piece (Good condition)

Saucers: 9 pieces (7 in good condition, 2 with damages)

Tea Bowls (Handleless Cups): 4 pieces (2 good condition, 2 with hairline)

Cups with Handles: 6 pieces (2 good, 2 with small chip, 1 handle reattached, 1 very faint hairline)

Covered Bowl: 1 piece (hairline + 3 frits)

Potential References

Spero, Simon & Sandon, John: Worcester Porcelain, 1751-1790, The Zorensky Collection (For context on similar scale and paneling motifs used in English porcelain that were often inspired by Chinese imports).

Howard, David S.: Chinese Armorial Porcelain (For context on high-status 18th-century Chinese export commissions and their complex patterns).

Sheaf, Colin & Smith, Richard: China Trade Porcelain: Patterns of Exchange (For general context on the market for scale-ground wares).

(Ref: NY7090-ckca) See less