Qing Porcelain

In the vast outpouring of Chinese porcelain from the Qing (pronounced ""ching'') or Manchu dynasty (1644-1912), the two styles highlighted here set standards for poetic charm and lyrical virtuosity. Dubbed famille verte and famille rose by French collectors, pieces tinted in a rainbow of green or red shades stand even today as a testament to Qing potters' artistic freedom. Among the dazzling wonders shown are a bowl decorated with the ``peach of longevity,'' a pair of geese-shaped tureens and a tall vase ablaze with roses, peonies, lilies, magnolias, lotus blossoms and chrysanthemums. The authors, both French experts on Chinese ceramics, also discuss several other styles as they show how ceramists oscillated between pieces of the purest Chinese design and those that catered to Western tastes for religious or political themes, symmetry or decoration. (December)