Blue and white kettle/reflux pot

[tebee]

My wife picked this up at the local market opposite the hospital she works at. She says it is a Chinese kettle or  ??? The best translation I can find for this is reflux pot.

I assume the Shunzhi mark on the base is fake, but it does look to have some genuine age, though I've never seen a cabbage leaf patten like this before. Be interested in your opinions.

[peterp]

I'm afraid not. The crackles are artificially created and the bottom can easily made to look this way.

[tebee]

Ah well it's a good job she only paid ?16 for it then. I'm interested to know what the give away points are - the fact that the cracking is too complete and regular? 

I know little about pottery, I'm a furniture man myself, but this is my ( Chinese born) wife's latest passion, so I need to start learning.

Tom

[peterp]

It is not quite possible to explain things that take years to learn in a few sentences. I recommend looking through the age sign section of the site, or buy the ebook, if you want to know it in short form.

Chinese porcelain is not as easy to learn as with furniture, I'm afraid. I was collecting furniture originally too, but had to change due to space restrictions. Chinese porcelain takes much more time and experience because of the huge faking industry in China.
As to the crackles, often they are not made to fake age, they are a decoration feature that some Chinese porcelain wares have. This one is of this type. The blue pigment, white glaze, shape, etc. all can provide hints...but it takes years of experience.


PS: You may know already what this page tells, if you are involved in antique furniture, but this is the only page in the whole ceramics site, that is related to Chinese furniture: www.chinese-antique-porcelain.com/antique-chinese-furniture.html