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Hi - have a bowl that I was given for my wedding 25 years go by a very wealthy relative (although not a very close one). I decided recently to take a look at the mark and can see that it is Quanlong but not sure if it is fake / replica (which I suspect tit is). It has a strange mark over the mark which I cannot see on any others.

Don't want to start a family feud, but this is a transfer-decorated bowl of modest intrinsic value with a stamped-on mark of a type used during the third quarter of the 20th century and later at porcelain ornamentation factories in what was then the Portuguese colony of Macao. Whether it is fake or not is a matter of perspective, since such a bowl could not have been made in the 18th century, because China didn't start transfer decorating porcelain on a commercial scale like this until the early 20th century. However, the bowl's butterfly decoration is one appropriate for a wedding gift, in Chinese culture at least, and the bowl is bound to brighten its perch and surely serve as a conversation piece.

The smaller overlying stamp probably contains a factory marking, perhaps related to the bowl's size or pattern.

Best regards,

Bill H.

Hi Bill and thanks. I certainly don't expect it to be genuine, but it doesn't appear transfer printed to me, unless it is very cleverly done as all the enamelling is raised on each of the butterflies, and overlapping and you can essentially feel round every single line on the flowers and the gilt edges. I have absolutely no experience in this but don't think the pictures do that any justice as I could not upload in hi-res. It is certainly not in any way smooth to the touch. Valueless I am sure, but just can't find anything even vaguely similar to it anywhere on the internet.

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