Set of 4 Qing? Story Dishes? with mark.

[smak]

Hi guys,

Happy New Year!

Need help with this! Not sure when it is made, I have the opportunity to purchase them. I am not sure what to make of it.

Looks like Qing to me.

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[peterp]

Hi Simon,
This is a type of plate that I personally would not dare buying from pictures alone. That is because I bought something similar and the moment I unpacked it it was clear that it was new.

I will tell you what this should be, and why I have doubts.
The foot rim shape would be typical for the Kangxi reign, and there is a Kangxi pictorial mark, perhaps also used in the Yongzheng reign.
My doubts:
The rim decoration would most likely make this an export item, but this type of mark is unlikely on export plates.
Although the foot rim is typical in shape, the blackish color is unusual, and before all, the rim shows traces of being ground down. Many parallel lines. Any shaping of the bottom would have been done while the item would be on a wheel, upside down, rotating, and before firing when the clay was still pliable. A shaving tool would have been used. But the traces look as if a tool was used that caused parallel lines while the plate was not on a rotating wheel.

The interior decoration shows no typical Kangxi elements, as water and mountains would show normally. The people are more in the style of a late Qing decoration, but what does a Kangxi pictorial mark do in that period? While they copied Kangxi decorations then, I do not think such a mark could be present on a Guangxu item, for example.
I have also doubts about the painting style and blue color tone in general. They may fit late Qing, but the mark and foot rim do not.
And before all, no usage or age signs, just four pristine looking plates...in my view buying these is a risk.

[smak]

Thanks Peter,

I agreed, it looked off to me as well. Just not sure of the paint.