Canton porcelain plate with gilded painting and landscape design (Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty)Guangzhou Museum
What Is Canton Porcelain?
Canton porcelain, a type of overglaze colored porcelain produced in Canton (now known as Guangzhou) in China since the Qing Dynasty, emerged as an export product to meet the demand from international markets. It has been produced for over three centuries. Its development trajectory and distinct craftsmanship exemplify this port city's inclusive and accommodating spirit, as well as the cultural exchange and innovative spirit of porcelain merchants and artisans.
Researchers at the Guangzhou Museum diligently retraced the historical journey of Canton porcelain. After two decades of work, they've amassed over 1,500 artifacts with complete chronological sequences, diverse categories, and distinct era characteristics. Early Canton porcelain artifacts are especially plentiful—a vivid illustration of the historical production and development, as well as cultural significance.
Part I - Emergence: Responding to Market Demand (Late Kangxi Period to Yongzheng Period)
The emergence of Canton porcelain is directly related to Guangzhou's geographical location and the growth of international trade with China. During the Qing Dynasty's Kangxi reign (1684–86), the government established four major customs offices in Fujian, Guangdong, Jiangsu and Zhejiang. As a result, over 80% of foreign merchant ships docked at Guangzhou port, making it an important hub for commodity trade and cultural exchange between China and the West.
Canton porcelain plate with emblem and flower patterns (circa. 1710)Guangzhou Museum
Chinese porcelain—which was also used as ballast to aid the stability of returning Western ships—generated significant profits. Guangzhou merchants began transporting the porcelain from inland Jingdezhen to Guangzhou to meet European demand, and reduce transportation and production costs. They would then paint the porcelain as requested for foreign orders before firing it again and exporting it overseas. That is how it became known as Canton porcelain.
In its early stages, Canton porcelain did not have a well-defined style. Personal customization was the primary focus, and production volumes were small. With the arrival of foreign merchant ships, a variety of pigments, techniques, and unique patterns and shapes were introduced to the production. With its adept and fluid brushwork, this large and meticulously crafted plate integrates the wucai technique, embodying the characteristics of porcelain ware from the Kangxi era.
Colorful plate with underglaze blue and iron-red flower and bird patterns with gilt outlines (circa. 1730)Guangzhou Museum
Early Canton porcelain works used traditional Ming Dynasty sancai (three-color) and wucai (five-color) pigments, as well as foreign enamel pigments. Wucai porcelain had a short export period before being gradually replaced by famille rose and Canton porcelain from around 1730. During the 1720s and 1730s, various types of porcelain, such as wucai, famille rose, and faience porcelain, influenced each other. This large plate combines primarily imari and famille rose techniques.
Canton porcelain plate with emblem, and flower and bird patterns (circa. 1730)Guangzhou Museum
Around 1730, the iron-red and gilt outline technique began to decline, giving way to the emergence of brocade patterns influenced by enamel craftsmanship. The herringbone brocade pattern, a recurring motif in both Canton and famille rose porcelain, was typically rendered in vibrant blue, rich iron red, or gleaming gilt. The brocade pattern usually covers the entire piece, leaving only a few strategically placed spaces in a swirl shape, with flower and bird patterns inside.
Large Canton porcelain plate with gilt outlines, flower patterns, and a motif of two lions playing with a ball (circa.1735)Guangzhou Museum
The function of this large plate would have been more decorative than practical, and it's most likely a stock item created by ceramics producers in Guangzhou specifically for European merchants. These traditional Chinese patterns have an Eastern aesthetic, reflecting the popular chinoiserie fashion in early 18th-century Europe. The Rococo style reached its pinnacle during that time, and the style of Canton porcelain enamelware, in turn, shifted from Baroque to Rococo.
The body of the jug depicts a European troubadour serenading a lady with a lute, which is rendered in ink. The figures are dressed in early 18th-century attire, and the setting is reminiscent of southern France or Italy, most likely inspired by earlier European prints. Beginning in the 1740s, European paintings with romantic themes were sent to Guangzhou, where ceramic artisans meticulously reproduced them onto porcelain. Porcelain pieces featuring these themes were popular between 1735 and 1755, particularly as tea and coffee sets.
Part II - Diverse Practices: No Fixed Design (Qianlong Period)
Guangzhou, the only port open to trade with European and American maritime powers from 1757 to 1842, experienced a boom under the Guangzhou Trade System. The trade in Chinese and Western ceramics expanded rapidly, driving Canton porcelain production to adapt quickly to the diverse demands of overseas markets and evolve into a distinct kind of export, independent of the influence of China's porcelain capital, Jingdezhen.
Canton porcelain covered vase with brocade-patterned background (circa. 1780)Guangzhou Museum
Warm color pigments like iron red, ocher, crimson, and eggplant were popular during this time, combining Eastern and Western painting techniques with gongbi and xieyi styles freely as needed. Purely Western themes became prevalent, and the shapes of the items evolved quickly to meet market demands and aesthetic trends, reflecting societal changes in Europe, and emerging local ceramic artistry. This period saw a new internationalization of Canton porcelain products.
The body of the vase is decorated with traditional Mandarin patterns depicting Qing Dynasty officials and their families in various scenes of daily life. Fine brocade patterns were often used as the background outside the patterns. Mandarin patterns make extensive use of iron red and scarlet, resulting in a stunning color scheme, which is occasionally combined with blue-and-white underglaze patterns.
Canton porcelain tea and coffee set with emblem patterns (partial) (1787)Guangzhou Museum
In addition to bulk buying ordinary cups and saucers, from 1725, European merchants began to customize drinkware sets, typically integrating coffee and chocolate utensils into tea sets. This 47-piece set of tea and coffee ware with ink-colored decoration was produced in 1787, and includes the most common types of tea and coffee utensils.
Canton porcelain nut basket and saucer with hollowed out pattern and emblem (1775)Guangzhou Museum
This nut basket is intricately carved all over, with a chestnut-shaped knob on top of the lid. Its design may have been inspired by ceramic products from the Leeds region of England, but the hand-carving technique—specifically the method of carving lines made up of separate slits—is a unique creation of Chinese craftsmen. It's therefore possible that the plain bodies were produced by the kilns using European models and were decorated in Guangzhou and exported to Europe.
Rose-pink and white Canton porcelain cup with a lid and saucer, featuring pastoral figures and a gilt-outline (circa. 1750)Guangzhou Museum
The central motif is the Fisherman (Le Pêcheur), inspired by a painting by the renowned Dutch artist Abraham Bloemaert, depicting a leisurely pastoral scene of fishing by the riverbank. This motif was popular between 1735 and 1755, and at least three different styles of border decoration were used, with the Baroque-style Du Paquier border being most common. This one is painted in rose-pink color ink.
The bowl's exterior is adorned with alternating motifs of East India Company merchant ships and flowers. Ship motifs were popular in porcelain exports for over a hundred years, from the early 18th to the mid-19th century, and were depicted in blue and white, ink-color, and Canton enamel. However, the specific decorative styles used in different periods, as well as the characteristics and equipment of the ships depicted, enable relatively accurate dating.
Part III - Stylistic Transformation: Gilded Decorations (Jiaqing to Mid-Daoguang Period)
In the early 18th century, Meissen in Germany was the first in Europe to establish porcelain factories. From there, porcelain-making techniques spread throughout Europe, including to Vienna, France, and the Netherlands. By the end of that century, Europe's porcelain industry had matured, prompting various East India Companies to discontinue bulk purchases of Chinese porcelain. The US became the primary consumer market for Canton porcelain.
Green Canton porcelain dish with a lid with a knob, gilt outline, emblem, and flower pattern (1820)Guangzhou Museum
The styles of Canton porcelain underwent transformative changes. This gave rise to a distinct style characterized by rich compositions, vibrant colors, and gilded decorations, which has endured. Warm tones were replaced by deep reds and greens, traditional Chinese painting techniques and patterns resurfaced, and pigments were made locally. Gilt decoration became popular—particularly after the 19th century, Canton porcelain started to be mass-produced.
Canton porcelain plate with iron-red flower patterns (circa. 1880)Guangzhou Museum
The Fitzhugh Pattern
The Fitzhugh is a decorative pattern used on porcelain from the late 18th and early 19th centuries. It was associated with a specific blue-and-white porcelain set commissioned by Thomas Fitzhugh, a director of the British East India Company. The design includes four floral motifs surrounding a central circular one, as well as symbolic elements, such as the four prized tools of the Chinese literati: the stringed instrument, the game Go, calligraphy and painting.
The decoration on its outer border is a complex pattern composed of butterfly fish-roe, diamond, rectangular, fish-scale, and branching-flower patterns. Canton enamelware featuring the Fitzhugh pattern is primarily decorated with green, iron red, and brown. The three enamel colors were primarily designed for the American market, with green being the most popular.
Canton porcelain plate depicting scenes from The Romance of the Three Kingdoms, featuring figures on horseback wielding weapons (circa. 1820)Guangzhou Museum
During the Jiaqing period, Canton porcelain frequently incorporated traditional Chinese stories and motifs featuring various figures. Literary classics, theatrical stories, and cultural figures that were popular before the Qing Dynasty were frequently depicted on porcelain. This plate depicts a dynamic scene from The Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Porcelain with themes of figures on horseback wielding weapons was especially popular in the Western collectors' market.
Canton porcelain plate with gilt outline, brocade patterns, and landscape and figure patterns (circa. 1810)Guangzhou Museum
Palace Ware
A new Canton porcelain type known as palace ware originated in 1795. It derived its name from the exquisite gilt outline and fine painting used on this kind of porcelain. It is distinguished by the intricate depiction of court figures, buildings, or rural landscapes inside a circular frame in the center, with diamond-shaped brocade borders painted in iron red and black, and large areas of gilded scroll patterns along the outer edge. Brown landscapes are delicately painted.
Brown Canton porcelain set with landscape patterns (1795/1805)Guangzhou Museum
Brown is mixed with red and black tones to create shades as needed. This technique was especially prevalent in Canton porcelain products exported to Europe. The composition techniques used in these two porcelain objects were influenced by the Wedgwood factory. The factory played a significant role in introducing neoclassicism into everyday ceramics, influencing the decorative style of the global porcelain industry.
Canton porcelain plate with grape-bunch pattern and emblem (circa. 1810)Guangzhou Museum
The plate is decorated with a pattern known as tobacco leaf, characterized by leaves with wide veins resembling large tobacco leaves. However, the pattern may have been simply an artistic creation depicting the large green leaves of various tropical plants in South Asia or the Pacific Ocean. Tobacco leaf patterns vary in composition. The pattern appeared on Canton porcelain relatively late, but by the early 19th century it was frequently used to cover entire objects.
Part IV - Evolving With Time: Staying Vibrant (Late Daoguang Period to Late Qing Dynasty)
Normal trade between China and the West was disrupted when the Opium War broke out in 1840. Due to the gradual decline in China's national strength from the late Daoguang period to the late Qing Dynasty, Canton porcelain was mass produced to reduce costs. However, there was further development in the shape and kinds of items produced. The style essentially followed the previous red and green color scheme, and depictions of narrative-themed figures became the norm.
Canton porcelain flask with figure and flower patterns, and dragon-shaped ears (Daoguang period of the Qing Dynasty)Guangzhou Museum
The main patterns on the flask feature scattered flowers and birds. The borders and edges of Canton porcelain often feature birds, insects, and flowers—a design known as the scattered-flower-and-bird pattern in Cantonese. This design is typically combined with rocks, butterflies, and auspicious fruits to create a fresh and natural aesthetic that reflects the Lingnan region's diverse cultural heritage.
Canton porcelain vase with a flower-shaped mouth, decorated with scenes of Guangzhou city life (Xianfeng period of the Qing Dynasty)Guangzhou Museum
During the late Qing Dynasty, large Canton porcelain vases frequently had two bird- or animal-shaped porcelain ears attached to the neck, depicting lions, dragons, phoenixes, elephants, and cranes. In the mid-18th century, the Vienna Du Paci porcelain factory's products made extensive use of porcelain animal figures as handles, knobs, or double ears. The development of porcelain craftsmanship in both Eastern and Western cultures appeared to be converging.
This vase is adorned with scenes from everyday life in Guangzhou, such as street vendors selling their wares, and lion and dragon dances, highlighting Guangzhou's unique folk customs and exuding the regional charm of the Lingnan region.
Canton porcelain tureen with courtyard and figure patterns (Guangxu period of the Qing Dynasty)Guangzhou Museum
After the Daoguang period, Canton porcelain was mainly used for practical utensils. This tureen is shaped like a melon and has a lid decorated with berries and leaves, as well as mushroom-shaped knob and loop handles. It was most likely inspired by items produced by the Wedgwood porcelain factory in England, in 1774. This style of Canton porcelain tureen was popular for a long time, from the late 18th century to the early 20th century.
Canton porcelain candelabra with gilt outlineGuangzhou Museum
This Guangxu-period Canton porcelain flask was transformed from a simple display piece to a functional item, by mounting it onto a gilt-bronze base and placing a French-made candelabra on top. It embodies the fascinating collision and fusion of Eastern and Western craftsmanship. Because of differences in lifestyle habits between the East and West, some Canton porcelain products that arrived in Europe were frequently modified or embellished with metal components.
