A Famille-Rose 'Hundred Butterflies' Bottle Vase - Guangxu mark

[Charles]

Can someone please help me identify if this vase is a real Guangxu marked vase of the period? Any assistance is much appreciated. Thank you!

[peterp]

Based on these pictures it could be period, but due to the lighting the white glaze looks a bit too white. A shot in daylight near a window should bring out the real glaze color. Also, some closeupl pictures of butterflies and other parts of the decoration would be helpful.

[Charles]

Thanks for the help Peter. Hopefully these photos have better lighting. I could not get close ups of the butterflies or decorations. Sorry! Any thoughts about the footrim? Any signs of modern production there? Much appreciated!

[Charles]

Here are two more photos. I have them all at larger resolutions that give a better view of the butterflies and decorations, but there are file size restrictions on the forum. If anyone wants me to email these high res images, please send me a personal message with your email address.

[Stan]

Hi Charles, in all your photo's you do not show close up pictures of the the band in the center, between the neck and the bottom part, bulbous part of the vase, with close detail, I puchase a vase with 100 bats similar to yours the wast band and top and bottom decoration are similar, I was told be many experts on line that it was authentic , even Christies, until they did a hand on inspection and found it not to be as old.

[Charles]

Sorry Stan. I am emailing back and forth with an auction house to get them to take these photos for me. Like I mentioned before, I have these photos in huge resolutions that give a better view of the decorations. I can email them to you if you are interested.

[Stan]

can you post them on photobucket.com and then post the link here, that would be great, thanks.

[Charles]

Let me know if these links work. You should be able to click zoom twice to see the photo at its original full resolution.

http://s1318.photobucket.com/user/cdieu/media/DSC_6869_zps6c0d7eba.jpg.html
http://s1318.photobucket.com/user/cdieu/media/DSC_6867_zpsce1de98f.jpg.html
http://s1318.photobucket.com/user/cdieu/media/DSC_6866_zpsd240e0a5.jpg.html
http://s1318.photobucket.com/user/cdieu/media/DSC_6865_zpse76b793c.jpg.html

[Stan]

Hi Charle, thanks for posting on photo bucket but the pictures are still to small to see the detail in the center of the flowers  and the small details at the top, but from what I can see, at the top it looks like a single line, all the original period of this type had two fine lines and there would have been more space,between the decoration and  the top of the vase, closer pictures of the details please.

[peterp]

Also, a closeup showing some butterflies, showing minute painting details. Sometimes the colors and brush strokes look different than when they are viewed from a distance.

[Charles]

Thanks for the help Peter and Stan. I can't get anymore photos. The vase was auctioned off earlier today in the UK. After looking one of these vases up on the Sotheby's site, I see what you mean about the two fine lines at the top of the vase Stan. Thanks again for sharing your experience and wisdom guys.

[Stan]

I purchased a vase at a local auction here, I thought for sure it was period item, Bonhams appraisers were in town, I always take things to them for appraisals, its free, the vase I had purchased even had them fooled, for a short time, but as Peter pointed out when I listed it on his web site that the shape was not correct for the period, the expert appraisers at bonhams said the the porcelain coming out of china these days are so good that they are having a hard time telling the difference, I saw a vase that sold at bonhams for lots of money and it had the same decoration as mine, age signs, pin holes, rust spots, you could not tell them apart, even in person, the quality was so amazing, the only deference was the shape and that was slightly off otherwise it could have passed for he real deal.

[Stan]

Hi Charles, I was able to get a good close up of the vase, it is good you did not buy it, it is not from the Guangxu period it is a later copy, I am certain.