Nanking: Chinese Export Blue-and-White Porcelain

Nanking refers to a type of Chinese export blue-and-white porcelain produced primarily during the 18th and 19th centuries, named for the port city of Nanjing through which much of it was shipped to Western markets. Distinguished from Canton porcelain by its finer quality, sharper painting, and more elaborate border patterns, Nanking ware was made at Jingdezhen and transported to Nanjing for export. The porcelain features characteristic landscape scenes, often with pavilions, bridges, water, and willow trees, painted in cobalt blue on a white ground.

Identification & Marks

• Border patterns: Nanking pieces typically feature a distinctive spearhead or lattice border, sometimes combined with cell diaper patterns -- this is the primary way to distinguish Nanking from Canton
• Central decoration: Landscape scenes with pagodas, bridges over water, boats, willow trees, and distant mountains
• Blue tone: The cobalt ranges from a pale grayish-blue to a deep sapphire, with earlier pieces tending toward a softer tone
• Gilding: Higher-quality Nanking pieces often include gold highlights on rims and handles, which Canton ware rarely has
• Marks: Most pieces are unmarked, though some carry underglaze blue symbols or shop marks

Types & Forms

• Tableware: Dinner plates, soup plates, platters, tureens, sauce boats, and serving dishes made in sets for Western dining
• Tea and coffee wares: Teapots, cups and saucers, coffee cans, and creamers
• Decorative pieces: Vases, garden seats, covered jars, and umbrella stands
• Special orders: Pieces with armorial bearings, monograms, or custom borders made for specific Western families

Auction Price Ranges

Condition Factors

• Hairline cracks, especially in platters and tureens, reduce value by 40-60%
• Gilt wear is expected on 200-year-old pieces; traces of original gilding add value
• Chips on plate rims are common and reduce value by 20-30% depending on severity
• Restored pieces should be examined under UV light, which reveals modern repairs as fluorescent patches
• Staining from use does not significantly reduce value if the piece is structurally sound

Collecting Tips

• Learn to distinguish Nanking from Canton: Nanking has finer painting, more elaborate borders, and often gilding; Canton is coarser with simpler rain-and-cloud borders
• Armorial and monogrammed pieces carry significant premiums, especially when the family can be identified
• Large serving pieces (tureens, platters, covered dishes) are the most valuable forms
• Matched sets or partial dinner services bring far more than the sum of individual pieces
• The market for Chinese export porcelain is mature and well-documented, with strong reference books by Mudge, Howard, and Ayers that should be consulted for serious collecting