Help identifying antique brush holder

Started by Kermski, Feb 01, 2024, 02:44:34

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Kermski

Hello,
I found this brush holder in my neighbor's basement last month. I would like to find a rough age estimate. After looking at a few books on chinese pottery and markings, I'm still not sure. There is an old sale sticker inside claiming it's from 1835 but I know that can't be trusted. The inside bottom is sortof dimpled and there are small imperfections (little air bubbles, holes, pieces of ash and rust stuck in glaze)
It's 5.5 inches tall, has a 5 inch diameter, and weighs approximately 31 oz.
I've attached pictures. Any help would be appreciated!

Katie

Ps- sorry if the images are small and few. The forum limited me. I have higher quality images I can send if you need better images.
[attach id=55486]IMG_8720-min.jpg[/attach]
[attach id=55490]IMG_8719.jpg[/attach]
[attach id=55482]IMG_8717.jpg[/attach][attach id=55478]IMG_8718.jpg[/attach]

Stan

This is a Millefleurs famille Noir black ground brush pot, the photo showing the whole side looks like the pot is tapered from top to bottom, if that is so it would be 20th century, they did not taper in the Qing period they were straight up or curved, I would put this in the Republic period 1912 - 1949.

Kermski

Hi Stan, thanks for the reply. The piece is not tapered. It's straight from the bottom up. Picture may have been taken at a slight angle. 

In that case, what do you suppose? 

peterp

I would say Stan's age estimate still holds. 
Millefleurs decorations with a black background only started to appear in the early 20th century, as far as I know. There would have been no background at all visible or only a gilt one in earlier times. The two Chinese names for this decoration is "the hundred flowers do not show the ground" and "the hundred flowers do not fall on the ground", respectively. These mean that the original millefleur decorations had no ground visible.
Further, you can see the concentric rings impressed in the bottom. This is usually a sign of metal throwing wheels. Most 19th century items would not show such obvious wheel impressions.  Further, the character style used for the Qianlong mark is more typical for the 20th century. Qianlong marks were a common decoration feature of 20th century items.

Stan

Thanks Peter, for explaining the millefleurs decoration as not having a ground but all Millefleurs.

peterp

Stan, I think most millefleur items were exported, probably from the late Qing dynasty or early 20th century and later. It is not often that one sees one from the 19th century made for the China market.
The reason that the later ones show the ground might be simple, they needed not paint so many flower details that away saving time and cost.