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Hi
I bought this jar at an old house auction about 40 years ago and I've always wanted to know more about it. I think it's a Ginger Jar but it's quite thin compared to others that I have seen online. Has anyone seen one like this and if so can you tell me what it is? That is old cork in the neck of the jar.Thanks in advance.

Features such as the 'pendant jewel' motif around the shoulder and four-character apocryphal Kangxi reign mark on the base of your Chinese baluster-form covered vase are both consistent with a late 19th to early 20th century date of manufacture. The form is associated with the Kangxi period (1662-1722), but I believe the 'jewels' came later.

Best regards,

Bill H.

Hi,

No, it isn't a ginger jar but a baluster vase and in the past probably part of a set/garniture. The metal part is a kind of homework, I think. Maybe because the neck is damaged. If not I would remove it. The mark reads "Kangxi nian zhi" but your vase is not from that period. My guess for a dating: late 19e/ early 20e century(later part more likely).

Regards,

Arjan

Mystery solved and many thanks for your help. I took the brass surround off for a look and it is damaged. Funny thing is, the ugly piece of brass seems to belong to this vase now, so on it stays. I think I'll keep a look out for some friends for it in future.

Why is it accepted and gold proofed wisdom that the 'apocryphal' four character Kangxi mark is always indicating manufacture in the 19th-20thC. In view of the complexity, villainy and congratulatory nature of all chinese marking for centuries past who,what and why decided this inviolable rule?. The characters are correct,translatable Chinese and some items would undoubtably carry evidence indicating early manufacture and be accepted as such were it not for the marks. It is even possible that early unmarked Kangxi caught up in the ban on marks could have had the characters added later to identify their true origin.

It took awhile for Qing forces to quell Ming renegades and bring Jingdezhen under control. Becasue of this, imperial porcelain production didn't commence until well into the Kangxi reign. Until such production began, what I've read suggests the imperial reign title didn't appear at all in Chinese porcelain marks. Then, when production commenced, the use of the Emperor's mark was tightly regulated by the palace, which controlled and taxed all private porcelain-making. Failure to adhere to the rules could bring severe penalties for factories and their owners.

While a few Kangxi-period four-character marks are known, all were on imperial porcelains and formatted differently from that seen on the vase in this thread. This vase and the mark it bears also are recognizable as being quite inferior in quality to imperial wares.

It also is my understanding that the use of spurious reign marks did not become common until the late 19th-early 20th century.

Best regards,

Bill H.

Hi Thomas,

In fact it isn't gold proofed, as you called it, because there are (only a few) 4 characters Kangxi markings of the period known. The change you will find one is next to zero.
Forgetting the marking for the moment you have to look at the shape (also of the footrim), paste and glaze and the decoration (as mentioned by Bill H.). The dots used (in the pendant jewel as called by Bill H.) directly points to a 19th. ct. (or later) dating. The clean milky glazed foot makes me even think more of 20th. century instead of 19th.

Regards,

Arjan

Hi Arjan,
being somewhat disabled and house bound I research antique chinese ceramics for entertainment,would that I could find the holy grail, much more,afford it. The four character 'Kangxi' marks seem to be an anomaly considering the fakes,copies etc why is there so much certainty about this one aspect. Have you any info about 'genuine' porcelain of age marked in this way, or know where I might find some insight on the net??

Hi Thomas,

Here are some links...
http://gotheborg.com/marks/qingmarks.shtml
http://www.teadust.com/edu/marks/Marks1.htm
This site of Mike Vermeer shows some 4 character Kangxi marks of the period but they are always in a double square.
Other usefull (but also comercial) site with a lot of info to read:
http://www.koh-antique.com/index1.html

Regards,

Arjan

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