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Help with a Chinese symbol

by Coby
(Loveland, Co USA)

Hi, sorry but this is not a porcelain piece but I was hopeing for some help iding the symbol on the rim. I belive this to be spun brass from China, it has alot of the same landscape decoration as seen on some of the porcelain pieces that I have seen. Any help with the symbol and the age of the piece would be apprieciated

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Jan 05, 2012
 basin
by: peter

Looks like a wash basin. These were used before tap water was available and can still be found fairly easy. This one could be vintage, but it could also be an item faking to be an antique. It is difficult to tell which when it comes to metal items.
The light color means that it either contains a lot of Ni, or is made of aluminium, which would make it even later. Anything made of metal made earlier would likely be made of copper or brass.
Jan 05, 2012
 Antique?
by: Coby

Thank you! Any idea as to how old it is and what it may have been used for? Appears to be made of three different pieces of metal all squeezed together on the top by the rim, all hand hammered and etched. Having 6 different scenes etched around the rim and a temple and landscape on the bottom. It is very large measuring approx 22 3/4" in diameter at the top and 11" at the bottom, standing 6" tall and weighing over 10 lbs! It is hevily hand etched all over, I thought maybe a water basin but it just seems to fancy. Thanks
Jan 04, 2012
 Chinese character
by: peter

This is a variation of the character for "longevity". It is purely decorative and has an auspicious meaning in Chinese culture.

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