Two Ming Xuande potter bowls with Zhuanshu calligraphy

[hoogenbosch67]

Chinese Ming dynasty potter bowl green celadon crackle glaze porcelain decorated with ancient Zhuanshu calligraphy. Mark is Ming Xuande period 1426-1435

Questions:
Confirmation period Xuande
What does the script mean (is this a story???)
What does the big mark in the middle mean (front)

Thank you Jan

[hoogenbosch67]

extra photos

[hoogenbosch67]

second bowl

Dimensions:
Bowl 1: height 7cm - crosssection 20cm
Bowl 2: height 7cm - crosssection 16cm

[peterp]

You should not rely on the mark...most Chinese marks are spurious. Ming dynasty items never have such Zhuan character decorations. This is a recent product, and it seems to be printed. The base is not right for Ming and Qing either.

[hoogenbosch67]

Hello Peter,

The scripts are not printed but handpainted.

I have some information of 2 valuable auctionhouses:
http://www.icollector.com/CHINESE-MING-XUANDE-POTTER-BOWL-WITH-KANJI_i13544356
and
https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/10673113_264-chinese-ming-xuande-potter-bowl-with-kanji

Thank you Jan

[heavenguy]

Hi Jan,

Sorry but the characters are printed. hand painted characters look much different. The bowl is modern. You are not suppose to link to external untrusty sites on this forums according to the guidelines. And even if you look at the second link you posted, it sold for $50 usd. No Xuande marked bowl will cost that much. never thrust internet sites, or auction sites.
Just go to eBay and type "Chinese celadon calligraphy bowl" and you will find similar ones with much better signs of age and they are all fakes. (D?j? vu Peterp?)

Icollector and live auctioneers are not valuable auction houses, never thrust them to identify pieces. I will go to Christie's or Sotheby's, but even them have sold fakes. Or so they say. Heck, even museum have fakes. So be careful out there. finding an imperial item is really like winning a lottery ticket. It is true that they are out there, but this is not one of them.

I hope this helps. I know it's really hard to learn Chinese antiques but it requires time, and patience, so don't be discouraged. Maybe one day you will be prepared and find a real one indeed.

cheers,

[heavenguy]

oh, oh I found a local link to a similar post. Hope it serves you well...

discussion.chinese-antique-porcelain.com/index.php/topic,2083.msg9360.html#msg9360

really proud of myself on this one, lol...

[Stan]

Hi Heavenguy, Peter is right, it looks to me like it was printed and then touched up to give it that hand painted look.

[hoogenbosch67]

Thanks all for your replies. One time you find good stuff and other times you find fakes (but its a very nice one (fake or not). See my yixing teapot and my old celadon plate, that were real (last posts). The plate was sold to China and for the teapot I am looking for a new owner.

My first idea for the 2 bowls was also modern age. But after investigating both bowls, one differs completely from the other. Thats why I got my doubts.

Still I have the question what kind of text is on the bowls??? Is it a story like the willow story or is it only decoration??

Does the mark in the middle mean anything??

[peterp]

There is only one character. These are all variations of the same character, including the one in the center.

[thanh trinh]

Hi, Peter
Do you mean all those are "longevity" characters?

[peterp]

Yes, but I was wrong. The central one should be longevity...the others seem all to be ? (Fu) characters.