Imagine holding a beautifully painted porcelain dish in your hands. The colours, the delicate brushwork, the elegant form - all suggest it must be Chinese. But what if it wasn’t? What if this seemingly Chinese porcelain dish was actually made in nineteenth-century France?
18 March 2026
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While they may appear similar at first glance, the two originate from very different historical traditions, techniques, and purposes. Distinguishing between them often lies in the finer details - the feel of the porcelain, its weight, the form of the piece, and the style of decoration all play an important role in telling them apart.
Porcelain has a long and rich history that encapsulates more than a thousand years of production. Chinese ceramics, by far the most advanced in the world, were made for the imperial court, the domestic market or for export. Through remarkable skill and innovation, artisans transformed ordinary clay into refined and beautiful objects that have fascinated people across cultures and throughout history. Important centres such as Jingdezhen developed into major hubs of porcelain production, supplying ceramics to imperial households as well as to extensive international trade networks.
Left - An example of a Chinese-style famille rose porcelain plate, in the manner of Samson of Paris, 19th century | Right - An example of a Chinese famille rose plate, 18th century
By contrast, Samson of Paris was, and in fact still is, a French firm specialising in the reproduction of historic porcelain and the replacement of missing parts in antique ceramic sets. Founded in Paris in the early nineteenth century, the company became well known for its ability to recreate pieces that matched older porcelain services and decorative objects.
The firm’s craftsmen carefully studied original ceramics - from Chinese and Japanese wares to European factories - and produced high-quality replicas that could complete damaged or incomplete sets. These reproductions allowed collectors and households to restore valuable porcelain services that might otherwise remain unusable due to missing items. This is particularly true with highly decorative styles such as famille rose porcelain, where Samson of Paris workshops often reproduced the colourful palette and elaborate motifs of the original Chinese wares.
Although Samson pieces were created as reproductions, they are not considered worthless today. Many of them are now antiques in their own right and are collected as examples of nineteenth-century ceramic craftsmanship. However, it is important to remember that they were typically made about a hundred years after the original pieces they imitate and were produced in France rather than in the countries where the originals were made.
A selection of Chinese and French porcelain pieces
How do you tell them apart?
It is difficult to separate an original Chinese dish from a Samson copy based on decoration alone. Specialists often rely on handling the piece, as the weight can offer a clue - Samson examples may sometimes feel slightly lighter than their Chinese counterparts. The colour of the porcelain paste is another detail to consider; Samson paste can appear somewhat whiter than that of older Chinese porcelain, and occasionally a faint greenish tinge may be visible where the glaze is thicker.
Manufacturing flaws can also be revealing. Samson pieces often appear more ‘perfect’, as they typically show fewer firing imperfections, such as pinholes, kiln grit, or glaze irregularities that are commonly found on older Chinese wares. Yellowish air bubbles trapped beneath the glaze can occur on Chinese porcelain but are rarely, if ever, observed on Samson pieces. Another important point of comparison is the use of underglaze blue decoration, which is often a weaker area in Samson reproductions. The cobalt pigment behaves differently on Samson porcelain paste than on Chinese porcelain, usually appearing darker and spreading under the glaze in a manner that differs from the more characteristic flow seen on Chinese underglaze blue.
For collectors and enthusiasts, learning to distinguish between the two adds depth to the appreciation of porcelain and highlights how artistic traditions travel, evolve, and inspire new creations across cultures.
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Imagine holding a beautifully painted porcelain dish in your hands. The colours, the delicate brushwork, the elegant form - all suggest it must be Chinese. But what if it wasn’t? What if this seemingly Chinese porcelain dish was actually made in nineteenth-century France?
18 March 2026
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