Phoenix Charger

[peterp]

Not sure if I posted this years ago. But I still do not know much about this charger.
It is 'very' heavy, with gilt phoenix decoration.

[Stan]

Hi Peter, Nice Charger, How wide is it, I like the Ho-ho bird decoration it is a nice feature and the color blue and purple is not your everyday colors, I have a set of 4 bowls with the same color and scolloped edge, Im thinking early 20th century, or earlier.

[peterp]

Hi Stan,
My guess was about Meiji. I'm outside now, so this is not an exact measurement, but should be 30cm or more...and it is heavy. I don't think I handled any plate or charger that is so heavy, from this late a period.
I wonder what this was used for, because the gilt is easily scratched. Are yours also painted with gilt?

[Stan]

Just the top edge is gilded, the foot on yours looks like it could very easily be from the Meiji period, the bottoms on mine are more like the ones you see in the early 20th century.

[peterp]

I was wrong, the diameter is only 28cm; the top rim is 5mm thick.
It is curious that there are stilt marks, but only three. The other two are covered with glaze. Why would they want these if they fired it standing on the foot rim anyway.

[Stan]

Here is 1 of 4 bowls, it looks like yours has more purple in it. Your Charger looks more like an aubergine color.

[Stan]

My bowl is high fired which means 1900 or later, test your charger to see if it is high fired by clicking on the edge, if it has a high ring like my bowl, it is high fired, I read somewhere that in the Seto region that is where they first started using true high fired kilns before that it was fired at a lower firing temperature and they had to make it thicker to keep its shape or it would warp in the kiln, I can't say that I have ever seen an aubergine color on Japanese porcelain before, it is quite rare.