Crazy for...Blanc de Chine

photo: Melanie Acevedo
Part of Mary McDonald's collection of blanc de Chine,
as seen in Mary McDonald: Interiors: The Allure of Style.

Blanc de Chine, a french term meaning "China white," refers to all white porcelain from Dehua, an area in the Fujain province in China.

A (I promise you) Brief History

Porcelain is a mixture of clay, feldspar and flint that can be fired at high temperatures, rendering it somewhat translucent, in addition to being smoother and more durable than many other ceramics.  The Chinese invented it (which is why we refer to those plates in our cupboards the way that we do), precisely when is a matter of debate, but the country was definitely exporting porcelain to the Middle East by the Tang Dynasty (618-906). In the 16th century, when trade finally opened up in other parts of the globe, the European upper classes got a glimpse of porcelain for the first time and "Chinamania" ensued. (It took them several decades to successfully produce their own, which finally happened in 1707 in Meissen, Germany, but Meissen, my dearlings, is a topic for a different time)

photo: Melanie Acevedo
A guanyin from Mary McDonald: Interiors: The Allure of Style.

Dehua porcelain, long cherished for its excellent quality, has a high percent of iron oxide. The result is a whiter product, an attribute the Dehua producers were savvily exploiting in the form of all white porcelain by the time of the Ming Dynasty (1365-1644). White, the color of both filial piety and mourning in China, is frequently associated with devotional items, so most of this porcelain was produced for the domestic market. But then, Japanese buddhists also began coveting the simple forms, and the French coined such an elegant name for it, and the rest is history. (Incidentally, where would we auction addicts be without the French: eglomise, papier mache, chinoiserie, trompe l'oeil grisaille?)

17.5" Chinese Quan Yin,
at auction June 12th.

Today, the most common blanc de Chine items at auction are guanyin, or Quan Yin, the bodhisattva associated with compassion in South Eastern Buddhism, such as the one, left, at auction at DuMouchelles in Detroit on June 12th, with a starting bid of $90, or the seated guanyin, below, at auction on June 9th, through Leslie Hindman in Chicago, with a starting bid of $250.

Guanyin on a kylin,
at auction June 9th.

 

Buddha available at auction on May 30th.

Buddhas, are also common. The Buddha at left is available at auction on May 30th at The Slawinski Auction Company in Scotts Valley, California, with a starting bid of $150.

Set of porcelain available for bid on June 5th.

You'll also find cups and bowls, like this set of porcelain, above, which is up for bidding at Michaan's Auctions in Alameda, California, on June 5th, starting bid, $100.

Hirado figures, sold at auction for $825
at S&S Auctions in New Jersey on May 16th.

Japanese blanc de Chine, often from Hirado, can be distinguished from its Chinese counterpart by its mostly closed base, below.

European blanc de Chine goes farther afield, literally: birds, flowers and animals are common subjects.

European blanc de Chine birds,
 at auction June 3rd.

Just as whites can be surprisingly different, so can blanc de Chine. The most prized color is ivory white, Europeans traditionally favored a rosy white, and bluish white is also popular. Enjoy the white out.