Ming earthenware bowl?

[heavenguy]

Hello,

I should be careful with buying things online but I couldn't resist on this one. There was a person selling things from an "estate sale" on eBay. It had a bunch of bowls and Chinese stuff that a lot of people were purchasing for high prices. I know thats not  guarantee but this plate caught my eye. It says it is Ming but I'm not sure about that. It shows age alright but with earthenware this can be fake very easily. Any ideas on this??? Thank you very much.

I guess I'm getting tired of collecting b/w late qing that I'm trying to collect some more older pieces like ming, yuan or song. I know it's gonna be hard but eventually...

[heavenguy]

more pics

[heavenguy]

thank you in advance.

[Stan]

This looks like a Yuan bowl.

[peterp]

I agree with Stan, could be Yuan. But in my view could also be Song, or much later, I mean Ming or even Qing. Some of the non-mainstream kilns seem to have made such foot rims even in the Qing dynasty. Still, the likelihood that this is Song/Yuan is better, I would think.

Stan, the foot does not have certain characteristics specific to Yuan bowls (not all do have them), that is the reason I think it could be both, either Yuan or Song.

I am not convinced by these pictures that this is earthenware. The clay seems to be gray, as several scratched areas seem to indicate. If that is so, then a scratching of the unglazed bottom should show gray clay too. If the clay is gray and is very heavy, it could be stoneware, otherwise porcelain. The unglazed bottom does not show pores usually shown in less dense clay.

As to the brown-red color, you will find it spread everywhere, even on top of the glaze. This color usually means something has been in the reddish soil for a long time. Thus, it could have been excavated.

[heavenguy]

Oh wow, Glad I did okey.

Yes, its gray under the glaze. I never thought about that or even notice it. Its not that heavy but is not as light as porcelain, at least that is compared to similar porcelain pieces I have.  This is my first time holding something like this so I have no point of reference to compare with much older pieces. The crack is relish so I think it was as you told me excavated since it's not gray as the rest of the exposed clay.

thank you for both answers.