Chinese Porcelain Marks

There are virtually thousands of Chinese porcelain marks. It is impossible to provide any sufficient number of mark samples for those of you looking for porcelain marks to compare with any marks that you may have on your antique China porcelain.

Need to know the reign names of Chinese emperors for researching porcelain marks? Compare the Chinese characters in your antique pottery and porcelain marks to the reign names of the Ming and Qing emperors in Chinese.

To those of you who headed directly here from an internet search - do yourself a favour and read these mark related pages first. They will help you understand why marks can not be used to identify Chinese porcelain.


The marks below are grouped according to the dynasty, but reign marks are listed in random order, independent from the actual reign order during that dynasty.
Also, please note that on Chinese porcelain often apocryphal marks are found; some of the marks were taken from shards and we could not verify the period of the item itself.

"Apocryphal" is stated where an item is thought to have been made during a later reign than the mark indicates.

Ebook
Introduction to Chinese Porcelain


Example:
If a Kangxi mark was found on a Guangxu period item, then it is stated to be 'apocryphal', or 'not of the period'. Mark and period items were not the rule in ancient China.
Later reigns often used reign marks of earlier emperors, on Chinese porcelain, etc.


Selection of Chinese Porcelain Marks

This selection of marks below contains mainly Chinese porcelain marks of the Ming and Qing dynasties, and a few republic period antique marks.
Marks listed below are from antiques that are about 80 years old or older. That means from approximately 1930 or earlier. Marks on vintage and contemporary porcelain items are not included.


A.   ...................................................................................................

20th century factory mark 20th century Chinese porcelain mark
Jiangxi Jingdezhen porcelain mark 20th century Chinese porcelain mark
Mark: Jiangxi, Jingdezhen 
20th century cock plate mark 20th century mark
Yuan quan xing mark Republic mark:
Yuan Quan Xing
20th century Chinese porcelain mark
 Early republic period
Mark: Huang Fu-xing Hao
 Shop or hall mark 
Chinese potter's mark Early republic period
Mark: "Made by Wang Yong Shun
Chinese porcelain mark - Jiangxi factory mark 1912-1948
Jiangxi factory mark (Republic)		 Rubber stamp porcelain mark
Dayitang - Republic Hallmark Republic period
Mark: Dayitang
 
B.   ...................................................................................................
Xuantong reign mark Xuantong reign mark
Guangxu reign mark - CHINA Late Qing dynasty English mark: CHINA "CHINA" marks were first used in the 1890s on export porcelain
Guangxu reign mark Guangxu
Mark: "Guangxu Nianzhi"
Lingzhi fungus mark Lingzhi fungus mark on a Guangxu period plate Pictorial marks were mainly used in the Ming dynasty and the Kangxi reign of the Qing dynasty, but normally they were in blue
Mark on Guangxu period dish Mark on a Guangxu period dish Typical Kangxi period mark used on Guangxu porcelain, late Qing copy of early Qing Chinese porcelain mark
Guangxu reign mark Mark on a Guangxu porcelain dish     see above
Late Qing dynasty mark Mark on a Guangxu period dish Thismark was used during the Ming Yongle reign; however, this one
here is a late Qing copy of the mark
Quangxu mark Mark: Yu (=Jade)
Found on Guangxu bowl
Guangxu mark Another Guangxu mark with the character "Yu" in a double ring
Guangxu Nianzhi mark Mark on a Guangxu period plate
(Da Qing Guangxu Nianzhi)
Fangge scratch mark Late Qing dynasty.

Mark content:  "Chenghua Nianzhi" (Chenghua reign).

Frequently found on old Fangge porcelain copies made in the late Qing or early republic period.
Sometimes the characters are not readable.

double ring mark Guangxu: double ring mark  (on Guangxu period item)

Note: the double ring mark was originally a Kangxi mark, but was extensively copied on export porcelain during the Guangxu reign.
Guangxu underglaze blue mark
Guangxu period mark
 C.  ..................................................................................................
Late Qing stamped porcelain mark Late Qing round stamped mark Private seal mark in coin layout: Made by Zhang Hong Yuan
Late Qing stamped porcelain mark Mark: Da Qing Two-character mark on Guangxu reign item
19th century copy of Kangxi period mark Late Qing
"Da Qing Kangxi Nianzhi"		 19th century copy of Kangxi mark (late Qing dynasty)
Faux Kangxi mark from Guangxu period Guangxu period
(Faux Kangxi mark)
Faux Kangxi mark from Guangxu period Guangxu period
(Faux Kangxi mark)
Dehua porcelain mark Qing dynasty
(Yuanli)		 Dehua porcelain mark
Dehua porcelain mark Qing dynasty
(Xiangsi)		 Dehua porcelain mark
  D.  ..................................................................................................
Tongzhi porcelain mark 19th century
Tongzhi reign mark
Tongzhi mark
 Tongzhi (1862-1874)
Mark:  Tongzhi Nianzhi
Tongzhi reign mark Tongzhi reign mark
Tongzhi reign mark Tongzhi four character mark
Tongzhi reign mark Mark: Daqing Tongzhi Nianzhi  Mark on Nyonya porcelain for the SE Asian market
Daqing Tongzhi reign mark Mark: Daqing Tongzhi Nianzhi 
 E.  ..................................................................................................
19th century mark Mark: character 'Zheng' in  double frame Found on 19th century celadon 
19th century mark same as above (from same batch)
19th century mark same as above (from same batch)
Daoguang mark Mark: Daoguang Nianzhi Item could be Tongzhi/Guangxu made
Daoguang Red Seal Mark Mark: Daoguang Nianzhi Item could be Tongzhi
fish mark Fish mark Found on Dehua kiln item from Jiaqing/Daoguang period
Jiaqing period mark Jiaqing
Mark: Da Qing Jiaqing Nianzhi
Jiaqing mark Jiaqing (1796-1829)
Jiaqing reign mark Jiaqing (1796-1829)
Qing mark with double ring Jiaqing mark
  (imperial mark)
Qing mark with double ring  Chinese porcelain mark with frame and encircled by double ring
Qing dynasty
 Characters: "Yu Yuan  Zhen Cang"
Chinese double ring mark  detail of above mark
Qing dynasty mark Qing dynasty mark
Lian Zhong San Yuan Mark:
Lian Zhong San Yuan		 Auspicious mark
 F.  ...................................................................................................
Qianlong period mark Mark: Daqing Qianlong Nianzhi

Qianlong period mark Mark: Daqing Qianlong Nianzhi

Qianlong period mark Mark: Daqing Qianlong Nianzhi

Qianlong reign mark Mark: Qianlong Nianzhi

Qianlong 24th year mark Mark:
Qianlong 34th year		 (year given in Chinese numerals)
Qianlong blue Fangge ware mark Mark: Qianlong Nianzhi (blue Fangge crackle ware)
Shizhen_18th_century_mark 18th century mark
Mark content: Shizhen

mid Qing mark Mid-Qing mark 
single character for 'person'

Qing Yongzheng mark Yongzheng mark

sandai mark Mark: Daqing Kangxi Nianzhi
18th century		 (probably Qianglong item)
Kangxi reign mark 18th century, Kangxi
Mark: "Kangxi Nianzhi"

Kangxi four character mark Mark: Kangxi Nianzhi

Kangxi Nianzhi mark with double ring Kangxi period
Mark: "Kangxi Nianzhi" in double ring

Kangxi leaf and double ring mark Kangxi pictorial mark
Leaf & double ring mark

Kangxi leaf mark Kangxi leaf mark

Kangxi pictorial mark Kangxi pictorial mark with double ring

Kangxi yantai mark Mark:
"Wenxun"
Made (purchased) 12th year of Kangxi		 ink slab mark
Kangxi period faux Ming mark Mark: Daming Chenghua Nianzhi, but Kangxi period

Early Qing Reign Mark Mark: Gui  
Early? Qing mark		 Mark on porcelain from Dehua kiln
Fujian province
Early Qing Reign Mark Mark: Heshun
Shunzhi or Kangxi reign		 Mark on porcelain from Dehua kiln
Fujian province
Ming-Qing Reign Mark Mark used during Ming
and Qing dynasties		 Mark on porcelain from Dehua kiln
Fujian province
G.  ....................................................................................................


Chinese porcelain mark of the Ming dynasty
Ming dynasty
Mark: Fu
        (good fortune)
Daming Nianzao
Ming dynasty
Mark: Daming Nianzao		 (Made during the Ming years)
Ming Dynasty mark Ming dynasty mark
Ming underglaze blue mark Mark: Daming Nianzao with double ring
Wanli reign Wanfu-Youtong mark Ming dynasty, Wanli reign
Mark: Wanfu Youtong
Ming Wanli - Changming-Fugui mark Wanli reign
Mark: Changming Fugui
Ming Longqing reign mark Ming dynasty
Mark: Longqing 3rd year
(in Chinese numerals)
Ming Jiajing, Tianxia Taiping mark Ming dynasty, Jiajing reign
Mark: Tianxia Taiping
Ming Jiajing Ming dynasty, Jiajing reign
Ming dynasty mark, used in several reigns Ming dynasty
Mark: Lu		 Auspicious character mark used over several reigns
Ming Jiajing mark Jiajing reign
Mark: Shangpin Jiaqi 		Auspicious content mark
chenghua underglaze blue mark Mark: Chenghua Nianzhi (on crackle ware)
Ming Dynasty Xuande reign mark Ming dynasty
Mark: Xuande Nianzao
wanli mark
 Ming mark:
Daming Wanli Nianzhi
 apocryphal (on Qing dynasty item)
wanli mark
 Ming dynasty:
Pictorial mark of a hare

Last updated: Feb. 2023



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