By Helaine Fendelman and Joe Rosson
Scripps Howard News Service
Dear Helaine and Joe: Enclosed is a photo of a vase which I purchased in Nova Scotia. By the markings on the bottom, I know it is Chinese and I have been told that it was made during the Chang Dynasty. Any information on origin and value would be appreciated. — E.M.L., Miramichi, New Brunswick
Dear E.M.L.: Evaluating Chinese ceramics in person is a difficult task under the best of circumstances, but trying to provide conclusive answers from a digital photograph is nearly impossible. In the case of this particular item, however, there is some information and insight that we can provide and we hope it will be of some help.
First of all, this is not a vase. The unglazed white collar around the top signifies that this vessel once had a lid and that it started out life as a covered jar, which in popular parlance is often called a "ginger jar."
The mark found of the bottom of this piece is properly placed within a double ring and is the "nien-hao" from the reign of the Emperor Kangxi (aka K'ang-hsi), who ruled during the Qing (aka Ch'ing) Dynasty form 1662 to 1722. The Qing Dynasty came into being just after the famous Ming Dynasty and was founded in 1644.
Chinese emperors typically had three names — a birth name, a name assumed after taking the throne (the "nien-hao") and a name by which he was memorialized after death (the "mia-hao"). Ceramics made during the reign of a given Chinese monarch often carry his reign name and a notation that this was the period in which the piece made.
Unfortunately, these marks cannot be relied upon and the vast majority of all pieces that say they were made during the reign of a specific emperor are not truthful. In many cases, these marks are not an attempt at fraud, but were placed on the pieces as a commemoration and a tribute to the artistic achievements of an earlier time.
No matter how well intended, this practice confuses and misleads many novice Western collectors.
The piece belonging to E.M.L. appears to have a Qing monochrome glaze that is generally called "powder blue." There is some disagreement about how this beautiful glaze was made, but most agree it was blown on using a bamboo tube with gauze on the end. The disagreement centers around whether the colorant was wet or dry when that was done, which seems to us to have very little importance here.
In any event, this glaze has a distinctly speckled surface and there should be some small imperfections (mainly running) on the surface. Looking at the slight iron particle discoloration in the porcelain body, the precision of potting and the nature of the glaze, we feel this piece may well be genuine, but we are not willing to price this piece or make an absolute judgment of age and authenticity without actually holding it in our hands.
(Helaine Fendelman and Joe Rosson are the authors of the Price It Yourself (HarperResource, $19.95). Questions can by mailed to them at P.O. Box 12208, Knoxville, TN 37912-0208.)
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