Blue and White Miniature Jar

[Kaaren B.]

Hi, all. I am hoping someone can identify this mark on a lovely little Japanese porcelain blue and white lidded jar I found recently. Thank you!

[Stan]

Hi Kaaren, Im not sure of the mark but it looks fairly recently made.

[peterp]

This is not a jar, it is a censer with a lid.
I can't read the mark either, but I believe it is upside down in this picture.

[Kaaren B.]

Hi, Peter. I agree re the censer, which I only realized after I'd posted. The three stumpy legs are quite worn on the bottoms. The mark is a little blurred. I'll turn it the other side up and try to take a clearer photo.

As mentioned in my post on the blue-green round vase, I got this and that vase at a moving sale in a house whose elderly Japanese owners had passed away. The heirs were getting rid of things as fast as possible, and actually gave me for free a set of five sake cups made by Fukagawa, as no one else wanted them. Kaaren

[Stan]

Hi Kaaren, I would like to see the Fukagawa cups, I have a big collection of Fukagawa.

[Kaaren B.]

Hi Stan. They are quite small, with holes for handles in the sides. The pattern is a Fukagawa one I'm familiar with, what looks like ivy leaves outlined in gold. I've seen it with both a white and blue background. I will try to get decent photos on my phone in the next two days. I really love Fukugawa. I have one of their very modern blue/white wave vases.

[peterp]

>> looks like ivy leaves
I would bet you are talking about maple leaves. Never heard ivy was popular, but the Japanese maple leaves are very small and sometimes their shape indeed resembles Ivy leaves. Maple viewing is popular in autumn, when the leaves become a bright yellow and then red.

[Kaaren B.]

Yes!!! Now I look at them, of course they look like maple leaves! And I love maples - silly me! K.

[Kaaren B.]

Well, everyone, this mark was driving me mad. After additional research, I realized that this is Chinese, not Japanese.

Today, I came upon an identical item, with the identical mark, listed on 1st Dibs as late 19th-early 20th century, for . . . $650.

I paid $1 for it at the same yard sale where I got the much discussed round Korean/Matuse water jar/vase.

[by admin - link removed. We do not allow links to commercial establishments]

Comments welcome . . . ??!! Kaaren

[peterp]

Hi Kaaren,
First I wish to emphasize that this item can NOT be Chinese. Chinese has never had such censer shapes and lids. In addition to that it is apparently not hand-painted but seems to be transfer printed.
The mark is clearly visible on this. But it is even more unclear what the marks depicts. The single strokes have too much distance between them to result in any coherent character or image. Despite reading  both, Chinese and Japanese, I must say that I cannot distinguish 'any' character of either language in this mark. What that might mean is that it could be simply an imitation made by neither of the two, unless it depicts some strange object, but I doubt it.

[Kaaren B.]

Hi Peter - thanks for your reply. As you can see, I also thought it Japanese and put it in the Japanese section here. But trying to find the mark, I then spotted similar pieces called "Chinese" and figured I'd made a mistake, changed the search to "blue and white Chinese censers" and not only found this one, but many more others - all listed as "Chinese"!

I should add that the moment I saw an identical one, I realized that whoever was selling this as early 20th century at $650 was either a crook or an idiot - it's the very identicalness that's the red flag.

I found these same items on varied sites ranging in price from $50-$165. Almost all of them were labeled "Chinese", most mid-century (20th).

I have some old English transferware of which I am very fond. Rousillon-Ironstone out of J. Goodwin - Longton, the Potteries area of England. This little censer doesn't have the neat borders and "dotty" look.

Naturally, at $1 I have no complaints.

But it is rather a dire warning of how careful you have to be out there when a very upscale site like 1st Dibs puts something like this up for $650!

[peterp]

Kaaren, unfortunately many online sellers do not have sufficient professional knowledge or are simply not interested in spending time acquiring it.
As to the transfer thing. European transfer decorations started much earlier and were of better quality early on. At least 19th century or even before that?
Chinese transfer printing really started only in the 20th century, perhaps about 2nd quarter. Their method originally was painting on paper and then applying that to the ceramic item. Usually they are quite easy to recognize. Before that single, repeating elements were applied using transfer sometimes, but on inferior wares.