Soft and Graceful Fencai

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Fencai (fammille rose) is a new variety of porcelain color based on five-colors (wucai), created under the influence of falangcai. The characteristics is that it has changed the stiff relations between five colors since it is first of all filled with a layer of “glassy white”, which makes the bright and black distinctive, and the transition of the colors soft, pretty and charming, thus it is also called “soft colors”. As one of classic porcelain types produced in Jingdezhen, fencai was fired in the Jingdezhen kiln in the Famille rose vault-of-heaven vase with pattern of nine peaches, Qing dynasty late Kangxi reign and prevailed in the Yongzheng reign, and still saw remarkable development in the Qianlong reign with more varieties and more sophistic patterns. The cost of fencai, compared with the expensive falangcai, was much moderate. Therefore, it was not strictly kept as an privilege at the court as falangcai, and was widely produced by civilian kilns, the technological level of some fencai ware even reached the standard of official kilns. Therefore, fencai became the only porcelain in the Qing dynasty that could compete with blue-and-white ware.

Kangxi period was initial stage of fencai, at this time five-colors was still dominant in porcelain decoration.

Fencai was only partially applied on porcelain, presenting a style of primitive simplicity.

Fencai in Yongzheng era sought a tranquil and elegant temperament, commonly seen with fresh and graceful decorations applied on lustrous and jadelike white ground. Fencai decoration during this period is best known for its extraordinary exquisiteness in depiction of animals and plants. The decorations are so vivid and realistic that even the dew on flowers and the hair of butterflies can be observed.

Fencai ware in Qianlong period, based on Yongzheng fencai, made great progress. It had some innovations not only in decorative technique, but in style as well.

Decorations were applied on a colored ground in a more packed manner, often adding some golden glaze, which renders the whole fencai object with a kind of metallic brilliance After Qianlong era, the fencai decoration became even more mature, but significant innovation had hardly ever taken place since then.