Hiya Peter,
are they new or old marking? Number 1, 2, 3 ?
are they fakes?
What are the marking ?
Any help would be appreciated!
Thanks
Bottom has Chenghua mark, but looks Japanese. Maybe someone else can help with age of this?
Bronze mark is Ming Xuande mark. The mark appears on many bronze censers, even those made today; this does not mean they are old or fake. I'm told that the marks on authentic censers are crisp and clear, not like this one. Many think this is a sign of age or use, but it seems to be a sign of mass production. That is, many of the same items were made with the same mold. Real Xuande censers remaining are not that many.
Cannot read mark characters of item on the top.