 Hand painted Chinese porcelain dinner wares became the height of fashion in Europe and North America during the 18th century as a way showing off wealth and status in society . The porcelain was ordered through different East India Companies and later independent American traders ; all Western trading companies with ships sailing to China . The porcelain was decorated with a combination of Chinese patterns and Western motifs selected by its commissioner . The Chinese manufacturers sent porcelain samples of decorations to their prospective clients in Europe and the United States and their clients provided the porcelain painters in China with paintings , drawings or sketches for their orders . These dinner wares are categorized into familles ( French for " families " ) mainly by the colors they are painted in such as famille <unk> , noire , jaune and rose . 
