The translucent famille-verte palette of overglaze enamels was perfected in China during the K'ang Hsi reign in the first quarter of the eighteenth century. Toward the end of that period the famille-rose palette of opaque overglaze enamels, among which a gold rose color was prominent, began to be used for decorating porcelain. These new pigments became the norm and had a strong influence on the style of ceramic painting. We have determined the microchemistry of these enamels, finding that lead stannate yellow, lead arsenate white, a gold-ruby glass rose, an iron oxide-aluminum oxide red, and a copper-cobalt-maganese black were the principal opaque pigments used. Cobalt-blue and copper-green solution colors were used in both palettes. The relationship of these pigments to European practice and prior Chinese enamels is discussed. These data allow us to define more precisely than heretofore the technological changes that led to the new styles of decoration.