Song Yuan Ming dynasty cizhou sgraffito rare chinese vase

[Gheday10]

Song Yuan Ming dynasty cizhou sgraffito rare Chinese 41cm height vase

I had an expert tell me it is most likely from the Song dynasty but without seeing it in person she cant be 100%. I have scheduled an appointment with Sothebys next year.

A value or an idea whether it is genuine or not would be great.

[peterp]

The shape does not look like a Cizhou vase, neither does the mouth. Mostly those wares have a meiping shape and a mouth that is bent sideways or slanted, but not straight up.
The bottom also does not correspond to Cizhou, in my view. I would think an off white or grayish bottom would be better.
There are no traces that this item was excavated, except the red soil on the bottom. Looks suspicious to me.
FYI, lots of  Cizhou vases with old style decorations are sold on Taobao, the Chinese equal to Ebay, and they are probably all new.

[Gheday10]

Thanks for your opinion. I was informed that it was a later version from the Song dynasty. I understand that the shapes and patterns were much different during that period.

[peterp]

My information is based on Chinese sources only. Specifically the shape info is from a book on Cizhou kiln, with Geng Bao-zhang as chief editor. He is the top museum researcher in China. They list all vase/bottle shapes from the Five Dynasties period to Yuan. There is only one shape resembling somewhat yours, but the neck is shorter, the mouth is more narrow and outward turned, as already mentioned. Another source shows a number of other Cizhou wares. Their bottom is all white or whitish, and the foot rim is always flat, never rounded on the outside.

Most items of this period are from excavations. Collectors of items of this period know that items often show traces of soil in the pores of the glaze or clay; but here there are none except on the bottom, where the soil is suspiciously prominent. The explanation for this is nornally that it was added to make an ite look older, or making it look as if it was excavated. I just wonder why an item that would be some 650+ years old shows no age signs in the glaze at all.
Believe it or not, I see perhaps about a dozen such vases every month, but they are virtually all more recently made. Smaller Cizhou items are generally more likely authentic.

[Gheday10]

Inside the vase has evidence of  clay. What sort of imperfections should I look for on the surface of the vase. I can see that there are some imperfectionas. Additionally, inside the vase cavity it appears that the vase was made in 2 or 3 stages or you can see the moulding.

[Gheday10]

more photos

[peterp]

Items were made in two or three parts which were fit together. There should be a seam visible on the outside. But there is still the problem of the mouth shape and the soil on the bottom, which looks unnatural.
Have a look at this bottom. It is dirty but looks natural.This is a painted Cizhou meiping vase.
www.dpm.org.cn/collection/ceramic/227567.html

[Gheday10]

You can see the white paint inside the vase, which is a good sign. If this is a fake, why would they do it in this style and size? You would think they would try it with a meiping style. Also, it was found in a multi million dollar house in Sydney, Australia. I will wait until next January for  the formal opinion.  I really appreciate your help. Thanks