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Subject:Ginger Jar - Modern? Help please
Posted By: LJCharles Fri, Sep 06, 2019 IP: 2a02:c7f:224e:f200:6

Hi, I recently bought 3 ginger jars which I love the look of, but despite checking online I cannot find this mark anywhere! (All 3 have the same mark underneath) I'm wondering if they are modern pieces?

It has a lovely gilt edging to the lid, with a gold tip, and gilt relief detailing around the main body. It is about 25cm tall and is quite weighty. Inside it looks almost like it has lumps/runs from the pottery!

It has marks under the lid as well as the base in a kind of rust colour.

Any ideas as to age, makers mark or anything at all would be fantastic! They might not even be Chinese.... really unsure.

I would love to know a little bit more if possible.







Subject:Re: Ginger Jar - Modern? Help please
Posted By: Bill H Fri, Sep 06, 2019

When your last photo of the base is flipped 90 degrees to the right, the seal script characters in the mark read down in Mandarin Chinese as Ming Zhi. It could be a person's name, and the characters together also form the Japanese name for the "Meiji" period of rule in Japan. My search of the characters on the internet didn't find a matching mark, although when seen through squinting eyes from a distance, the mark seems to possess a few qualities of a mark used by the United Wilson Porcelain Company in Hong Kong.

On a more positive note, along with the style of the mark (including the factory marks in circular and square borders) the gilding and polychrome floral decoration on this vase are similar in their palette and painting style to what's found on many a vase turned out by ceramics ornamentation factories in Hong Kong and Macao during the third quarter of the 20th century. So unless someone else does better, I tend to conclude that your vases are from that period and one of those same places.

Best regards,

Bill H.


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