Culture Insider: How to distinguish doucai, wucai, famille-rose and enamel porcelain

Updated: 2015-01-23 07:08

By Yu Xiaoou(Chinaculture.org)

Culture Insider: How to distinguish doucai, wucai, famille-rose and enamel porcelain

A comparison of enamel and famille-rose [Photo provided by China Guardian]

Both of the famille-rose and enamel acquire beautiful colors due to opaque glass. The shading effect, which gives perspective to a motif, is achieved by altering the ratio of colored enamels to this white enamel. There are some tips to distinguish the two kinds of porcelain.

1. Enamel features more color than famille-rose.

2. The patterns of enamel are painted in layers. We can feel the details when we touch the porcelain, while the appearance of famille-rose is flat and smooth.

3. The color of enamel is bright while the famille-rose is soft.