This site is set up to offer the results of my research into Chinese porcelains of the Late 19th century and the first half of the 20th century. I have been a collector of this period of Chinese ceramics since 1995 but I am now just beginning to understand how much I don’t know! I have been writing short notes about my learning efforts and now wish to share them with anyone who would like to read them. Stay tuned….
Here is a list of the reports on this blog:
- Some notes on Wan Shou Wu Jiang (万寿无疆) Porcelains since the Late Qing period
- Chinese Republic (1912-1949) and other marks Overview
- · Dayazhai (大雅齋) Porcelains: A Brief Outline
- Chinese Lions in the 19th and 20th centuries
- The Puce Landscape Pattern on Porcelain – Chinese Republic Era Stereotype
- 10 Chinese Millefleur Teabowls (中国十大米尔芙蓉茶碗)
- A Centifleur Tea Party
- Jiujiang Porcelain Companies in the Chinese Republic era 九江瓷民国
- Chinese Republic porcelain, Shanghai marked landscape examples (民国瓷上海)
- Green press-moulded wares, Republic of China (& earlier)
- Wang Bu’s Chrysanthemum Legacy (王步菊花遗产)
- Deconstructing the ‘Rice Grain’ Pattern on Chinese Porcelain – Late Qing to PRC
- ‘Flower Balls’ on C19th and C20th Chinese porcelain (花球 Huā qiú)
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Contemplating Buddha’s countenance – the Bao Xiang Hua 宝相花 (aka Hosoge or ‘Lotus or Peony Scroll’) in Qing and C20th Chinese porcelain
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An outline of PROC (People’s Republic of China) base marks on factory and other porcelain, 1949 – 2000
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Yellow Chrysanthemums on porcelains from the late Qing to People’s Republic of China 黄菊花瓷器晚清中华人民共和国
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Chinese porcelain food serving containers in the C20th
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Zhang Zhidong 張之洞 and his Bao Bing Xuan Dong 和包氷瓷 plates, an intriguing Late Qing/early C20th pattern on Chinese porcelain
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=D= “Factory” (艺术瓷厂) Chinese People’s Republic of China (PROC) Porcelains and their correlates
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Dragons and Chrysanthemums – a Late Qing export pattern (龙和菊花)
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Chinese Nesting Bowl Sets from the Late Qing & Republic Period 嵌套碗套装瓷器
watersilkdragon 
Would like to put a link to your site on our site. Many of our visitors would be interested. Can I contact you by email?
Hi, I am dealer from Argentina and unfortunatly I do not understand about this great art, I got a great sorprise when I sold an ítem on eBay but in copper, and I see other ebay members from my country that they sold very expensive porcelains, I would like to lern more, this site is very interesting as Ghotheborg also, thank you
Hi,
Your site is very interesting and very useful for someone like myself. I am a collector of chinese porcelian and I have an unusual vase which I cannot identitfy from the mark. I wonder if you would mind if i sent you a photo of the item as you may know the mark.
best regards Max
Hi,
I am interested in one Chinese mark that you translate as “Bao Yong Xuan Yong_3_33, No info, looks like a commendation of some type?” I have a plate with this mark that I have been researching and I differ in as much as I give the first two characters as ‘bao bing’. The characters ‘bao bing’ refer to the name of the home of Zhang Zhidong (1837-1909), who was a
late Qing dynasty official. The last two characters, if I recall correctly, mean something like ‘reserved use’. I am of course hoping to be able to link the plate with this eminent statesman. I have also found an identical plate with a very well-written Guangxu mark in red. Both plates are very high quality. With reference to your published mark, do you own the porcelain that it came from or did you collect the mark from another publication.
Regards,
David.
Hi David,
This mark was a very early one which I selected back in 2007 from an auction site. It would have been translated by a Chinese translator who I hired for all these marks as I do not read Chinese. Since your kind email I have checked the characters and have to agree that the 2nd character is Bing not Yong and I will amend the listing. Thank you for pointing this out. Regarding the piece with this mark it is of very high quality and I have seen this pattern of beautiful flowers (with and without a dragon medallion) before. However, I have just spent almost an hour searching the Gotheborg Discussion Group archives and can’t find the plates/dishes I was thinking of. All I remember is that they were very beautiful and considered top quality. All of which gives some weight your research. I will contact you. Thanks again, Michaela
Hello Michaela, I hope you are keeping well. I write to you regarding the dish that perhaps once resided in the home of Zhang Zhidong. I have just received my new copy of the Gerald Davison book in which he gives the mark (#2525, the first time I have ssen it published) as “Selected for use by a Devotee of Hardship” – artistic name of prominent politician / collector Zhang Zhidong, 1837~1909. I wrote to Gerald to ask where he found the information and he has suggested it might have come from you. You can understand that I am looking for a definitive record of the use of this mark and wonder if you have since 2014 discovered more information. Failing that, could you suggest a Museum in China that might help and also correspond in English?
Since our last correspondence I have found another plate of the same design but with six-character Guangxu mark in iron-red and a smaller dish, unmarked and without the dragon. A Xuantong mark & period cup with just the unusual blue Himalayan poppy was sold at Sotheby’s in 2019.
If you write to me at the address below I can send you photographs.
best wishes,
David.
Hi,
Loved your site. We are trying to identify a Chinese porcelain tortoise that has a removable lid, perhaps used a soup tureen. Seems very old. The marks seem to translate into Imira, however they are Chinese. It’s about 12 inches long. Bought many years ago at auction.
Any help gratefully received. Where could I send a photo?
Hi there,
I am glad you enjoyed the reports. Unfortunately, I am unable to comment on your piece on this blogsite. However, I suggest that you look up some of the Asian art websites such as the Asian Art Forum or the Gotheborg website. There are many experts on these sites who could help you, whether it is Chinese or Japanese. Good luck,
Michaela
Hi Michaela,
I am in awe at the amount of work you have done and shared with us all here so generous of you thank you.
I am writing regarding mark Jiangxi Xin Zhong Hua Chu Pin 09 14, I don’t read Chinese either but I am trying, I have an item with this mark and would love to know more about it but when I google this translation or variations like zhong hua for example nothing is comes up at all. I am wondering if the translation can be correct? I will work on translating the figures myself but just wanted to let you know also. In your notes you say ‘Xin Zhong Hua shop was one of the largest in Nanchang’. However I cannot find anything at all referring to such a shop on the internet searches hence my contacting you. I shall come back to you if I manage to solve the mystery myself and would appreciate any further information you can provide when you find time. The only very similar mark I have found is in Simon Kwan book for item 114 with the mark translated as Nancheng xin Zhonghua the mark has 7 characters but the first 2 are different to this one…
Kind regards,
Jo Bower
UK
Hello again, further to my earlier message I have now found that the two different characters are jiang xi and nancheng so the rest of the translation xin Zhonghua chu pin must be correct. I assume the reason I can find nothing about this company is because I am searching in English? Could you point me anywhere that might be helpful please?
Kind regards,
Jo
Dear Jo,
Thanks for your kind comments. It is a bit of a journey and yes you will need to get the chinese characters for Xin Zhong Hua in order to search for more information. There is nothing written in English on this shop and the artists it employed. There is an interesting history associated with this shop/company which I would love to sort out at some time. There are copies with this this mark on the internet auction sites, so beware. At present their attempts to replicate the mark are not good enough.
Anyway, once you have the chinese characters, put them into a search engine, go to ‘images’ and see what you find. Using ‘translate’ features will help you navigate through the maze. Good Luck,
Michaela
Love your site, I purchased yard sale from Lee family 3 generations no one can read calligraphy, 3column 2 character Kangxi Mark pomegranate scholars 3 inch..many one of a kind attributes. Perhaps a one off. Color, cedar water, peach bloom with jade mottled rising to surface, many age marks, iron oxide yellowing to interior sepals. Can stand upside down on its great wall designed for this purpose sepals. Then when lightly tapped ..Will right itself. Has Imperial Purple Garnet melts to interior of sepals, ( same melt point as porcelain) ,then ox-blood reddish hue to exterior sepals married to an undulating line abutting the rare peach bloom… not pedaled, coiling seen to interior, very strange rained to touch almost ( bronze stamp seal) disguised as kiln debris mark.. until magnified…getting mixed reactions from experts… the National Museum Taiwan, when sent pics.. wanted to know if I wanted to sell or donate it.. I’ve yet to know what “it” is. Have studied everything related to this for 5 years.. still know enough to know how little I know.. any assistance in this educational endeavor would be greatly appreciated.
Dear Maureen,
Sounds like you have some interesting things. I suggest that you post images and information on one of the Asian/Chinese art forums, on the internet and social media. You could ask for help at the free sites or for a small annual fee you can join Gotheborg.com Discussion Board, although no values would be discussed there. Good luck, it’s a great journey to discover what you have ‘got’! Michaela
Hi, with great interests and fascination I read your article on Republic marks. I just have this simple question for you. In your captions below/aside the photo marks, you always have the Chinese sound translation followed by a number or two. Some are obviously dated years, but some don’t seem so. For instance what are the two numbers in “Ai Sheng_18_43”?
Thanks in advance.
Hi, Yes the dates are obvious and should be mentioned in the text. The other numbers relate to my internal database, which allow me to check back to additional images and other information not shown here. Best wishes, Michaela
Looking for books and any related information on Wang Bu’s Porcelain works. I live in Reno,Nevada and have had a real problem finding anything on this Master Artist (1898-1968). Thank you for your courteous and professional response to this inquire. Sincerely Ken Prater
Hi there, I wish I could help you! I couldn’t find very much except what is in the report, from the published sources. This is often the case with Chinese porcelain from the mid-late C20th. I am sure that there is information in Chinese, available in China. If you can read/speak Chinese then you may be able to source information from the online Chinese bookshops. Wish I could give you a more effective answer, but that is the reason I write these reports, basically in answer to my own questions and the lack of published information in English. Good Luck!
Thank you. Its never easy when its good. If I do come up with something I’ll note you. Sincerely Ken
May I send you a photo of the symbol on my Chinese dishes? I have read your article and cannot find the mark. My father purchased the set in the late 60s. Thank you.
Hi there, I’m afraid I can’t respond on this site at the moment. I suggest you send photos to one of the online asian art forums, there are lots on Facebook etc. Good luck!
excellent info thanks
Congratulations on your amazing assemblage of marks! I have a Chinese Hexagonal plate with two different marks on the base and two marks on the front of the plate on the decoration.
Would you please advise as to this anomaly, I have not seen marks on the front of the plate before, just the base? I would be happy to send you a copy for your wonderful collection if you are interested. Thank you
Thank you! I’m sorry I don’t make comments on this site. I suggest you try showing your interesting plate on one of the online asian art forums: there are several on Facebook as well. Upload your photos there and you should get some responses. Best wishes, Michaela
your note 28_21 on Guang Fu Chang Xuan company. could you please share some info as to which period is this porcelain maker. than you
Wyllyn Lau (from Singapore)
My estimate is that the tea bowl set which held this mark is from very late in the Republic period
I just wanted to write to say thank you for this wonderful blog. It’s great that you are sharing so much of your research here. It’s really inspired me.
Michaela, I have thoroughly enjoyed your article on Jiangxi Porcelain Company Part 1. It’s most informative. I wonder if you have completed Parts 2,3, and 4? I am not able to find these parts online. Please kindly advise
Thank you for your kind comments! I am still working on Part 2 (of 2) – it gets bigger and bigger – hopefully it will be finished by the end of the year.
Hello Watersilkdragon – I hope that you are safe and well. Thank you for writing the article on rice grain ceramics, it’s really useful. I am pretty sure that I have the other bowl (they must have been a pair at one stage) from the Georg Weishaupt ‘Great Fortune 2002’ catalog/exhibition. I can send you some pictures of the bowl if you like. I too have the Kerr book and have been researching rice grain – and trying to learn more about my bowl. My email address is stuart@mobiusresearch.co.nz
Thanks for your wan shou wu Jiang section!! I only CHIPPED my pink mug I had for years and FREAKED HAHA! I’ve been buying ginger jars, teal mugs(got some weird one I can’t find any info on, GORGEOUS!), plates, ear scratchers ever since!! Jaw dropping pictures…Great to learn a bit more about it! I need more money now…
Dear Michaela,
Thanks for you great work.
I have a turquoise ground molded chinese vase with 3 marks on the bottom. Two molded China and China in chinese characters I guess and a third China stamped. I’m pretty much sure it is Chinese Republic. I would like to send you a picture – I didn’t find these kind of marks on your website, you may want to add it.
Kind regards,
Thank you! Great offer thanks but I have some hundreds of marks not yet in the report, and am so overwhelmed that I may not get to them for quite a while. I will contact you when that happens!
My husband and I purchased a planter at auction and we know it’s not worth anything but I would like to know more about the planter. Are you able to help me decipher the markings? Thank you
I am not able to help you on this site sorry. I suggest that you look at one of the multiple online chinese art forums, plenty on Facebook, and ask, with photos there.