Famille Verte Porcelain Inkwell by Samson

circa 920
Dimensions: W 6.3 in, D 6.3in, H 3.5in.
Dimensions: L 16 cm, P 16 cm, H 9 cm.

The famille verte decor is part of the Chinese-styled production of the Samson factory. Ornamental pieces make up the larger part of the Samson collection, from the Qing era from the reign of Kangxi (1662-1722) and especially of Yongzheng (1723-1735) and Qianlong (1735-1795). The Samson production line catered to the European taste at the end of the 19th century for elaborately decorated pieces, as can be seen in the rich floral decoration of their trumpet vases, inkwells, plates, and basins. Around 1900, amateur collectors followed the advice of renowned collectors like Grandidier who, in his book La Céramique Chinoise (1894), extolled the artistic superiority of multicolored? porcelain. Consequently, these amateurs sought out decorative pieces from the famille verte or the famille rose, set in bronze if possible. The enamel from these pieces is often well done, even if they are more crude and cluttered than Chinese enamels. Pieces from the famille verte are undoubtedly more common in Western collections.

Florence Slitine, Samson, génie de l’imitation, Paris, Éditions Charles Massin, 2002, pp. 161-168.