Not sure what that is, bonsai pot, censer, brush washer ...?
It is about 6 3/4" across the opening and about 3" tall. Not sure if Chinese or Japanese as the mark on the bottom is not clear but it looks like it reads "China". The clay appears to be whit/grayish.
Any thoughts?
Thanks
Not Yixing clay, I think. Nothing old, and yes it may be Chinese. Copying ancient motifs does not make an item old. The shape is modern.
I would recommend to start looking at lower and medium level Chinese porcelain, not the export porcelain and ceramics auctioned by top tier auction houses. These are not typical for domestic Chinese porcelain. But I do not know if you can get information in the west, it is just a so much better way to recognize typical Chinese shapes and decorations.
Thanks for the reply.
Yixing seems to be a large subject to study. There are quite a lot of different kinds, with different colors. And some of the clay was mixed with other materials.
I know the motif is ancient but never thought the piece is that old. I think it was not done yesterday and may have a little bit of age.
Wonder if the black coat on the inside is original because whoever did it, left his hand prints on it.
The point I am trying to make is first the shape, which is unorthodox, as is the decoration. It is either that of a brush washer or a censer, but Yixing wares are not commonly used for either of these. However, unorthodox shapes are more likely encountered with brush washers.
The whole item looks more like it was imitating a bronze item. What you could do is check if it was hand made or in a mould.
If you give me hints I can check if mold or not.
Thanks