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Dear Members,

This vase sold on eBay recently (for less than $50 I think). I was wondering if this really is an 18th Century piece. To me, the glaze looks a little too shiny and the foot rim looks like it has some dirt rubbed into it. Not sure if the shade of blue is proper for the period too.

Thank you,

Bokaba

I decided to see if I could find another vase like your example on eBay, and the one at the link below, from a forthcoming live auction, popped up almost right away. However, I didn't get any more hits when scrolling through a further 2000 of the more than 6000 hits I got in response to a query of "Chinese blue & white vase".

http://www.ebay.com/itm/18th-C-Chinese-Blue-and-White-Vase-Lot-6103-/172699746218?hash=item2835b4ffaa:g:FU0AAOSwlMFZLc5I

I think both of these vases may have come from the same Chinese ornamentation factory, perhaps in Hong Kong or Macao, during the late 20th century. The decoration looks almost like it was laid down with a felt-tip pen. There is a scribbled look to the flower-heads, and a stamped-on look to what seems to be failed attempts to produce arabesque designs between the asymmetrically formed tendrils. It may be that the vase came to the decorator pre-glazed and was given new coats after the design was put on. This may account for the sloppy application inside the foot rim and the apparent shrinkage around the mouth.

Not a pretty sight in my estimation, but shoddy enough to convince the some Western minds that it is old.

Best regards,

Bill H.

Thanks Bills. $700 sounds like a steal, right?

Bokaba

Don't forget to pay the buyer's premium!
BH

I decided to take this venture a step further by inquiring of the archive at a popular live auctions website. I discovered the vase I previously spotted similar to yours had been offered for auction at four earlier sales by the same firm since 2012. It was indicated to have been sold twice, for $750 and $450, and passed over another two times. I also found two other auctions by a different firm involving another vase with similar characteristics, which was passed over in successive auctions during September & October of 2016.

The links are pasted below if anyone cares to take a look:

https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/51689825_18th-c-chinese-blue-and-white-vase

https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/42251399_18th-c-chinese-blue-and-white-vase

https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/42251399_18th-c-chinese-blue-and-white-vase

https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/11149655_chinese-18th-c-blue-and-white-vase





https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/48248912_qing-period-chinese-blue-and-white-porcelain-vase

https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/47302588_qing-period-chinese-blue-and-white-porcelain-vase

My guess is that most antique dealers in Mainland China probably stay on top of what's old and what's not. However, the manufacturers of fake antiques, wherever they may be, have a vested interest in shill bidding auction prices of their products in an effort to set a new "normal" price without paying it. Some auctioneers apparently take longer than others to figure out why certain lots don't sell.

Best regards,

Bill H.

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