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Can you tell me more about this bottle. It is heavily potted porcelain--over three pounds, and the cobalt blue glaze is heaped and piled overall. I scrubbed the base with soap, water, and a brush;so I think the pinkish color is in the biscuit.

I just noticed that I should have said "cobalt blue underglaze" in my first message instead of what I did say. I hope that I didn't confuse anyone.

Hi John although this is in the Yuan dynasty style I believe it to be new.

Well, Oliver, I must say that I agree with you, but I wish you could suggest some features of the piece which compel you to reach this conclusion. My hangup is the artistry of the potter who made the piece and the various signs of wear and ageing which, if designed to deceive, should have made the piece much more expensive for me than it was. I bought this bottle at auction from a collection at the same time I bought a Xing Bai bowl from the same collection for $500.00 when it had a pre-auction estimate of $80-$120. A reputable curator later determined the bowl to be modern, as she also did for this bottle, so I sold the bowl through the same auction house for $2800.00. I know this has nothing to do with the bottle, but it does make me wonder about the criteria experts use to determine a piece's origin. I have other early pieces the origins of which are beyond doubt, but I keep this bottle to remind me that deception resulting in an attractive object insults my sensibility mainly when it hurts me in my wallet. When I gaze at this bottle, I can't help but feel sad that its maker may have needed to deceive to make his living, and it reminds me that one who creates to deceive may hurt himself in ways he is unlikely ever to discern. Also, I can't help imagining against my better judgment "What if..." and thereby give myself an opportunity to meditate on my own weaknesses.

Regards,
John

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