Learning About Rose Medallion China

One of the reasons I love the the vintage/antique business includes the infinite opportunity for learning. If I see something out in the wild that I think might be good (but I’m not 100% sure), if the price is right I’ll buy it as an excuse to learn more. Sometimes it works out. Sometimes it doesn’t!

That was me yesterday at our neighborhood thrift store. I picked up this small porcelain bowl. I knew it was hand-painted and I was pretty sure the style was Rose Medallion. But I had no idea of its age or even if it was worth picking up.

Still for a couple of bucks I decided it was worth a punt and back home I started researching it right away.

Rose Medallion Style

This style was developed in China circa 1820 (other sources say 1850) for the export market (Europe and the U.S.). Katherine of Pender & Peony writes, “As part of the Famille Rose style, it uses overglaze low-fired enamel paints in pink, green, blue, aubergine, and yellow. The pattern features a central medallion usually depicting a bird, tree peony, and/or rocks surrounded by four or more alternating panels showing people in one and then florals with fruits and birds in the next. The panels are called reserves and outlined by intricate borders of c-scrolls set agains green tendrils and pink florals. Bats, butterflies, and birds often decorate the outer edges of a form or fill in the spaces between the reserves.”

This 1860s platter circa is a lovely example of the workmanship and delicate painting of the earliest, more valuable, pieces.

Finding the pieces like the one above is rare.

Dating Rose Medallion China

As it turns out the earliest and most sought after rose medallion china had no markings on the bottom. By the late 1800s the U.S. required these pieces to be marked (thanks to the McKinley Tariff Act) and they were with “CHINA” in red. After 1919 that changed to “MADE IN CHINA” with later, more modern pieces taking on a variety of markings. (Unscrupulous dealers have been known to sand off the markings to fool buyers.)

Mine has the marking for 1890 to 1919.

Another indicator–the earliest pieces were more detailed and intricate with the painting on modern pieces notably cruder. Additionally “antique pieces often have a smoother, thinner porcelain finish compared to later, heavier reproductions.”

As I continue my research I think I may go old school and check out a library book on this topic, but I felt confident enough to list it while I continue my research.

Would love to hear what you’ve been researching!