Chinese Antiques

Chinese Famill Rose

Antique Lamps by Edme Samson of Paris

Porcelain, along with many of our day to day products, was discovered in China over a thousand years ago during the Tang dynasty. That is why, in fact, in the West, we call it “China”, because that’s where it came from!

The discovery of porcelain in Europe, however, did not occur until the early 18th century in the German Princely Electorate of Saxony. The demand became a flood and vast amounts began to be exported from China.

The wealthy classes sent orders for dinner services via ships’ captains, who, twelve months later, would collect the service from the southern Chinese trading port of Canton. Many of these services were decorated with the family coat of arms of wealthy patrons.

They were produced for coffee and tea sets as well as complete dinner services and were known as “armorial” services. Very few have survived, complete and in original condition. As pieces became lost and broken, so the demand for replacements developed.

Edmé Samson specialised in the reproduction of Chinese export style porcelain from the period when it was fashionable for aristocratic families to order their services and shapes from southern China.

Edmé Samson, born in Paris in 1810, established the porcelain company of Samson-Edmé et Cie in the 1830’s. Samson began his career by producing replacement pieces, but it soon became obvious that his skill at reproduction resulted in superb copies of the original.

By the middle of the 19th century Samson was producing porcelain in all shapes and styles in imitation of all the major European factories, as well as Japanese Imari and the famous Famille Rose and Famille Vert styles produced in China between 1720 and 1790. In the 19th century Samson porcelain was considered as copies only, but now, Samson copies are antique, being over 100 years old.

The Antique & Vintage Table Lamp Co specialise in antique table lamp lighting with an on-line range of over 100 unique, antique and vintage lamps on view.

Lamps are shipped ready wired for the U.S, the U.K and Australia.

You are invited to visit their web site at www.antiquelampshop.com

© The Antique & Vintage Table Lamp Co 2009

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