TE-HUA PORCELAIN

Pinyin Dehua, Chinese porcelain made at Te-hua in Fukien province. Although the kiln began production some time during the Ming period (13681644), it is to the Ch'ing dynasty (16441911) that most extant examples are attributed. The characteristic product of Te-hua is the white porcelain known to the French as blanc de chine, which has the appearance of blancmange, or milk jelly. Figures of Buddhist deities and vases with molded reliefs of plum blossom are typical. Te-hua ware was exported in large quantities to Europe from the 18th century and also imitated there; e.g., in France at Saint-Cloud and in England at Chelsea and Bow.