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Hi everyone, I have this Sancai glaze bowl 19 inches in diameter and weighing 19kg. Bust and restuck as can be seen. It looks like it says 'Number 1 pattern' in the mark which will mean it's Jongdezhen. Can anyone help me with the rest of it and do these numerical marks place it no earlier than PRC? Many thanks in advance.

Not really a sancai (three-color) glaze but probably an iron or salt glaze or glazes. The Chinese pinyin mandarin name of the apparent maker would be Xu Hongmao (徐洪茂), on whom no information identifiable with a pottery maker could be found online. Similar crocks were made in Vietnam, where I believe ethnic Chinese merchants also put their character names on some containers used to ship and store various commodities for Chinese consumption. Check the link, which while not giving an age, shows a crock like yours indicated to be Chinese and to have been used for preserved eggs (a.k.a. "thousand-year eggs", definitely an acquired taste).

While looking around, I also came across images of apparently new jars of this type that were made in Thailand.

Best regards,

Bill H.

URL Title :Egg Crock

Thanks for that Bill, I had no idea about those wares. All the best, Pete

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