Prunus Jar Kangxi or 19th Century

[bokaba]

Is this prunus jar (I think this would qualify as cracked ice) Kangxi period, 19th Century, or something else?

[Stan]

Hi Bokaba, I believe the lid on a Kangxi jar would be flat on top, and the ice pattern is not like any I've seen, also the unglazed shoulder and top looks to clean, are their any glaze pitting inside the vase, usually the late Qing the shoulder and top are glazed but I think their was some like yours unglazed but if it is missing the pitting inside I would be suspicious and place it at a later date but I am leaning towards Guangxu period.

[bokaba]

Thanks Stan. Let's see what Peter thinks. I am not sure we can rule out Kangxi based solely on the round lid. The decoration looks different than many Kangxi period prunus jars I have seen.

www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2018/saturday-at-sothebys-asian-art-n09908/lot.1102.html

[Stan]

Hi Bokaba, the top unglazed mouth is thick, the Kangxi jars I have seen are thiner and at the base of the foot would be shaved, I'm not seeing this on yours, also the color blue is to bright in my opinion.

[peterp]

It's not that simple. But I got to leave now, will take my time looking closely at a book that is specialized on blue/white ginger jars of the Qing dynasty. What I can tell now is there is listed at least one Kangxi jar and one Qianlong lid with this shape. We usually hear that the shoulders of Kangxi jars are fuller, sometimes the mouth may be relatively smaller.
Personally, I think this belongs to the cracked ice backgrounds. There are several types, some show the geometrical lines in white, but more often than no in a darker blue, like here. I think there is still another type of cracked ice background  as well.

[peterp]

First I would suggest that you provide some dimensions, and a better picture of the bottom area. Looking at the bottom picture showing it from straight above, it looks too white, but looking at the picture taken at an angle one sees that there are impurities. It is important to see these, because Kangxi and Guangxu have different production traces. As Stan already indicated, the blue color of yours is a bit light, is that the real color? With a Kangxi item I  would expect a bit different depth. The lid is too unreliable for dating, probably, but there are other features to check.
Is there a seam visible inside that shows the jar was made in two pieces?

Prunus blossoms of the Kangxi and Guangxu reigns often are slightly different, but we need to be aware that sometimes the Guangxu ones imitate the features very well, so this is not always reliable.
Kangxi prunus blossoms often are shown in clusters, one big and several more (big or small) grouped tightly together. Then the center of Kangxi blossoms show the filaments better and in more detail. This detail is actually showin better in your jar than the one from Sothebys' site. Sometimes only the clusters, no other blossoms or branches are shown on Kangxi prunus jars.
Do you have pictures of the interior, or the underside of the lid?

I'm afraid that in the end, all may rely on pigment and glaze colors. This is one type of item that was sometimes imitated to a high degree in the Kangxi reival period.

[bokaba]

Here are some additional photos

[bokaba]

More photos. Dimension with cap are 11.5 inch tall and 8.5 inches wide.

[peterp]

There is a number of tiny spots visible on the bottom. These are not sufficiently clear, however.  A picture at an angle of perhaps 30-45 degrees showing the surface (can be reflecting the light) might help to see if they are indents or inclusions. A closeup (partial) showing some of those dark spots very close might help. What is of interet is if the spots are in the glaze or in a depression, and if the depressions are deep into the glaze with dirt inside, or if these are shallow indents resulting from burst bubbles near the surface of the bottom glaze.

[peterp]

The seam is not clearly visible. Can you see one inside or on the outside (less likely) showing where the upper and lower halves of the jar were fit together?