BW tea box

[Pablo82]

Hi Peter and Stan,
Please your opinion about this tea box. I'd say it could be Guangxu...
Thank you very much!

[Pablo82]

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[Stan]

Hi Pablo, the tea jar looks old but I never seen one like this with the raised decoration also the mark is strange, the Chinese would not put a mark on an unglazed bottom, not on traditional Chinese Antique Porcelain, it would have been put on in the late 20th century or it could be a Chinoiserie item or 20th century all together.

[peterp]

The mark is something written on later. This is not an original mark applied during production. And, it is a four character Kangxi mark, which would make it late Qing. But I think it does not fit this tea caddy.
In my collection there is one with a similar elevated decoration, white on blue background, which should be Qianlong. It is square. The bottom type of this one is also typical for that period, but please note how the eyes of the bats on the top are not connected to the body. That is usually a sign that something might be a bit later.
I would therefore think it might be late Qianlong to Jiaqing reign, or late 18th to early 19th century.
Again, I think the mark can be disregarded. It may be added in recent years. Depending on the color type used for the mark, it might even be possible to check that with some solvent. The strokes of the mark characters look more like those of a felt pen than a brush to me.

[peterp]

By the way, when you buy something like this with a wooden base and/or lid, depending on the wood type used, these could be of some value too. The base wood is not clearly visible, but the lid looks clearly like old suanzhi wood. Suanzhi (Dalbergia) is heavy and will go under if put in water.

[Pablo82]

Thank you Peter and Stan for your answers.
Peter, your expertises are always very sharp and articulate, but this time you have outdone yourself! The wood is heavy, as you say. I don't try the test of water because I'm afraid to ruin it, but I think it's too heavy to float. Here a photo of the base:

[peterp]

You cannot ruin it, but if you are afraid, put it into a small plastic bag. If it is suanzhi as it seems to, it will not draw water easily like other wood types with less density. With suanzhi the weight is due to extreme high density of the wood, and it is very hard.

As to the base, is the underside also heavy? Any place where the grain is visible? It seems to be lacquered and therefore is probably not of the same wood type as the lid.

[Pablo82]

I'm afraid the base is not suanzhi like the lid, Peter. It's lacquered, the underside grain is visible and it floats, I did the test in water. Thank you for your teachings!

[peterp]

That is what I thought; that is quite common. The two were probably added at different times.

[Yuqian]

Republic era