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Chinese Porcelain

by Joe
(Sydney, Australia)

Hi Peter;

Is everything alright in the new years holiday?
My brother brought another Chinese porcelain in a auction.
The decorations looks like the Chinese candle porcelain I posted in a Email to you last time, which is Eight Immortals Crossing the Harbour. Can you please tell me the age of this porcelain and its value.
About the top black metal, it looks like 'tin' but it looks very weird with the rest of the porcelain.
Thanks Peter, see you next time.

Best Regards,
Joe

Comments for Chinese Porcelain

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信. 魏彼得3
by: Joe

彼得你好;

收到你的来电,谢谢!
的确被你言中了,我弟弟不想空手回家,在几个人争拍中他胜出,花了大约二万四千元新台币拍下了这个八仙过海瓷,不过,是你带给了他exciting ,happiness和lucky,你的经验,才华,智慧和见解,填补了我们对中国元代瓷认之匱乏的空白.
非常感谢你,彼得,再联系!

Joe
estate auction
by: peter

請叫我彼得, 不要叫我"大師,我不敢當.

"这个唯一看上去有点象古董的藏品"...ha,ha,ha, I think most collectors have experienced this and bought something, just to avoid coming home empty-handed.

What you mention seems to be an estate sale. This seems to be popular in the USA and possibly England also. Where I am from they would do a "home clearance", selling all contents of a home to a company or bidder specialized on home clearances. These would then sell the to contents to antique shops, thrift stores, etc., but mostly not directly to end buyers.
Sure, it should be possible to find something valuable at such sales, but each is different. Depends much on how much the departed person's family or auctioneer knows about these things, and of course on the standard of the collection.
信. 魏彼得 2
by: Joe

彼得大师你好;

谢谢你对我们这个八仙过海的瓷器提供珍贵的意见,精辟的分析以及你衷心的戒言.对你的见解,我们深信不疑并奉为至高致上的理念顶礼膜拜.
这个八仙过海的瓷器是澳大利亚人收藏的,他去世后拍卖公司拍掉了他许多收藏品,大部分是西方的珠宝手饰,一小部分是中国瓷器,看上去并不非常珍贵,都是日常用瓷,大慨都出自民窑.我弟弟参加了这个拍卖会并拍下了这个唯一看上去有点象古董的藏品.
谢谢你彼得,再联系.

焦 悉尼 澳大利亚
B/W jar
by: peter

Hi Joe,

The metal could really be tin (pewter). Many modifications were made in Europe and the Middle East. Those made in China were apparently mostly made when items were damaged. Like, for example, the broken neck of a jar or vase would be ground even and then a metal rim or lid would be attached, etc. No problem with that. There are collectors who are specialized on such items.

However, you are right with your concern regarding this item. The pictures are too small to see details of the decoration close up, but the foot is not right in my view.
If this were right, it would have to be late Ming dynasty. I think the eyes (faces) are controversial. The decoration right below the metal attachment would be late Ming or later; then the next decoration is problematic, in my view. It should be either a stylized cloud decoration or a ruyi decoration, but here it resembles neither of the two. If this would be real Ming, it would be in the thousands of dollars at the very least... Ming items in good condition are quite expensive.

Was this bought at auction online or in Australia? If this is from Ebay, there are better chances to get the real item if certain sellers are avoided.
At small local auctions you have to be careful. Small auction houses usually do not have experts for evaluating authenticity of porcelain items.

If you provide a closeup picture of the faces and if possible the pine tree, I could check if there are further problems with these...

Hope the price was not too high.

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