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porcelane figurine

by joanne
(scotland)

Hello Again Peter

Would you tell me if this item is chinese,how old it is, and possibly something more about it?

Thnaks again

Joanne

Comments for porcelane figurine

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Nov 25, 2010
 age
by: peter

Joanne,
I don't know. Purely from the glaze I would think maybe first half of 20th century, or even 19th.
It depends also on where the figure stood before. Some Shiwan wares were placed on temple roofs or open spaces under the roof. In such a case sun, wind and temperature changes may have aged it faster. Really, a specialist collector in Shiwan may be better able to answer this.
Nov 25, 2010
 figure
by: joanne

Thanks a lot Peter,
figure is just as you said, hand and head made of dark clay and the rest is covered by glaze,
then what age it can possibly be? I don`t mean accurate date but maybe at least century.
Or do you know where can I check its age?
many thanks for your great help:)

joanne
Nov 25, 2010
 figurine
by: peter

Hello Joanne,
Yes, this is Chinese. It looks like a Shiwan figurine to me.
If you do a Google "image" search for the word "shiwan" you will find lots of pictures.
I have one of a Fu Dog here: https://www.chinese-antique-porcelain.com/chinese-porcelain-figurines.html, of which I am not sure how old it is.

I can't tell you much about its age except that it has some age, apparently. I have just not enough experience with Shiwan pottery because we don't see many old ones, and of those we see we are unsure how old they are. Usually, such figures don't have crackles if they are just a few years or a couple of decades old. Judging from the glaze yours is at least vintage, maybe antique.
Is the black on the feet and face mould? If not I would try to wash it off with some mild detergent or soap water.
Shiwan figures are still being made and most of those we see are either new or made relatively recent. The most prominent feature of older Shiwan figures is that they are made with a darkish brown clay, which shows its natural color as skin, while clothes and other items are glazed. This is valid for many older ones, but there is a new style now that covers the clay everywhere, the faces being white and more glaze colors are being used at the same time.

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