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Old lamp, more photos

by Kat
(USA)

Peter, my curiosity got the better of me, so I dismantled the lamp. Do these photos suggest any more information? Does it seem to be Chinese? Do the markings on the bottom make any sense to you? All I know about this vase/lamp is that it is at least 80 years old. Thank you for any help you can offer?
Kat

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vase
by: peter

Hi Kat,
Looking at the base I can confirm two more things. One is that the body seems to be pottery. And secondly, the broad foot rim means usually that it either is not Chinese, or no more than about second quarter of 20th century (if it is Chinese).
Please don't get deceived by the look. An old look can be artificially achieved, but doesn't necessarily mean old age...
Summarizing this, if the vase were several hundred years old Chinese porcelain, then the broad foot rim might be more likely, but the vases from the Qing dynasty I have seen up to now do not have this type of bottom - they had a narrow foot rim. And if it were several hundred years old, the glaze could not be that shiny.

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old lamp

by Kat
(USA)

Peter, I know this probably is not Chinese, but perhaps you can offer some advice or tell me how I might identify this piece? It appears to be a vase that was made into a lamp. It has been in the family over 80 years. From the small hole in one close-up, you can see that it must be made of clay, since underneath the glaze it shows red. I find no marks anywhere and am loathe to dismantle the lamp in an effort to find something. Thanks so much!
Kat

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vase
by: peter

Hi, not sure if I can help. We have only the shape, decoration and glaze to go with.

From the small spot where the clay is visible it is not possible to deduct for sure whether it is pottery or porcelain. This is because iron oxide present in the clay used for porcelain also can turn this color, under certain circumstances.

The shape could be Chinese, but it might also be Japanese. However, the decoration shows lotus flowers, which do not grow in Japan. Japan is too cold. So, although possible, lotus flowers are unlikely to be used on Japanese items, except in some Buddhist context, perhaps.
But, on the other hand it would be possible if it were for export; meaning that the decoration was made for the destination country or region.
The use of lotus means it is likely from, or made for, a more southern region. That again makes it possible that it is Chinese, but it could also have been made anywhere in SE Asia.
Gray glaze is rarely used with traditional Chinese porcelain. Thus, if it is Chinese, it could not be older than the early 20th century.

The realistic depicted subject (lotus) makes it also unlikely that it is older than early 20th century, if it is of Chinese origin.
These are all considerations that you may already have evaluated. I'm afraid I cannot tell you more than that it looks old, is possibly Chinese, but could also be from somewhere else. It has no specific Chinese traits other than perhaps its shape.

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