Sydney punchbowls 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 verte, noire, jaune and rose. These sets of tableware included all the dishes necessary to set a grand table for a gala dinner. A 1766 order form from
Chinese ceramics terms used to classify Chinese porcelain by the dominant element in its colour palette. Famille verte (康熙五彩, "Kangxi wucai", also 素三彩, "Susancai"), adopted in the Kangxi period (1662–1722), uses green and iron red with other overglaze colours. It developed from the "Wucai" (五彩, "Five colours") style. Famille jaune is a variation using famille verte enamels on a yellow ground. Famille noire (Chinese: 黑地素三彩, "Modi susancai") uses a black ground (although some clobbered wares had the black added in the 19th century). Famille rose (known in Chinese as "Fencai" (粉彩) or "Ruancai" (軟彩, simplified 软彩), meaning 'soft colours', and later as