Rose Medallion 101
Today on the blog I want to talk a little bit about one of our most beloved patterns, Rose Medallion. Now let me preface this by saying I am not an expert on this by any means but I do love this pattern (like many of you out there) and I really enjoy researching and I’m always trying to learn about it and all the other treasures I come across that end up in my shop.
First of all, Rose Medallion has been around for centuries but really gained in popularity around the 19th century when trade with China opened up with western countries. A little bit on dating RM – if it’s unmarked on the bottom it was likely made between 1840 and 1890. Also, these older pieces will typically be unglazed on the bottom and you will see more intricate detail with the art and even brush strokes. Later import regulations required markings so if it has “China” to the base it was probably made between 1890 and 1915. “Made in China” marking usually dates it to 1920s. And Made in Hong Kong or Chinese symbols typically are newer pieces but can still be vintage and a lot of those are still really pretty. Newer pieces do not typically have the brightness of colors and the detail that the older pieces do.
Now let's discuss the different types of Rose Medallion porcelain. Rose Medallion in itself is the name for brightly colored panels of artwork that usually alternate around a central medallion. Now the panels can be either all botanical with insects, fruit, birds, fish or they may be alternating panels of people and botanical art. If the panels depict only botanical art (no people) then that type of RM is called Rose Canton. If it is alternating panels of people and botanical art then that type is actually called Rose Mandarin. Sometimes this pattern is mistakenly referred to as “Famille Rose” but it makes sense why it would be called this because these depictions of people always look like families. But that is actually incorrect. Famille Rose is a type of Chinese porcelain that usually depicts a central art motif, such as fruit, flowers, etc. usually surrounded by a border of botanical art but the art is largely in the pink family. There is also Famille Verte (green family), Famille Noire (largely a palatte of blacks), and Famille Jaune “Joan” (yellows).
Rose Medallion is such a fun pattern to collect. It looks stunning as a wall collection or a vignette display. It comes in so many shapes and sizes and can be found as huge vases to tiny little butter pat dishes (which make perfect trinket dishes for your bedside table). It’s truly such a classic pattern and it’s so easy to add it to any other collection because it always compliments other porcelains and patterns.