18th century blue and white Tankard cup

[Stan]

Hi Peter, This cup seems awfully big for a coffee cup, its like twice the size so I am assuming a tankard cup, I think it is blue canton ware but I am not sure, in my books it shows a smaller one, your expert opinion is appreciated, the size is 12.7 cm tall and 13.97 wide from one side the the other side of the handle. Included there are 12 photo's to view, thanks for viewing.

[Stan]

Here are more photo's to view.

[Stan]

Here are the last set of photo's, thanks for viewing.

[Stan]

Hi Peter and everyone, I just found a cup just like this one on Christies past lots, it indeed is a tankard cup and would date about the same period as the tea pot I posted earlier, late 18th century to early 19th century, I picked these up from the same seller.

[peterp]

Looks like Canton ware, but difficult to estimate age. The quality of the bottom is not what it should be on 18th century export items. Rather 19th century.
If this type of item was also made during the late Qing dynasty, that would be another possibility; this judging by the bottom alone.

[Stan]

I think your right Peter, I recently purchased a book on blue and white antique Porcelain and this tankard cup is in it and they are dating it to 1840,

[Stan]

I now have two types of Chinese Porcelian tea pots, one is dated to 1790 and the other is dated to 1820, the one dated to 1820 has a handle the same and the one on this tankard, the handles are very similar to the older ones, the difference is the where the handles meet the cup, the embossed decoration is different but the handles are the same twist like handles.

[peterp]

> and they are dating it to 1840

Stan, just a general explanation.
As we (means here, not in the west) are evaluating age mainly based on workmanship, decoration, etc., we usually can only estimate an approximate age. Items were made over decades, some even for over a hundred years. Western estimates for a specific item are frequently based on the orders or ship logs of the Eastindia Companies. For example, the records of the Dutch VOC are still existing to a good part. So it may be known when a certain batch or type of porcelain may have landed in the west. I doubt for several reasons that China has any reliable data remaining in this respect. They rely more on kiln excavations, etc. for their data.

You should be aware, however, that any recorded batch arriving in the west may be one of many similar ones, exported over decades. Thus, certain variations in style, in a certain batch, may not necessarily mean these are period specific. Many items were ordered with samples, drawings, etc., and it also looks that many items possibly made in the same period by the same kiln may have had some differences.

[Stan]

Hi Peter, the bottom looks different then the inside of the cup as far as smoothness, the inside is pitted and the bottom is smooth, I don't know if that means anything, I was not aware that they were still making cups with handles this way in the late Qing period, thanks for letting me know, I though that blue canton was common in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, I assumed that because I have never seen anything late Qing with these type of handles, I have seen fakes though but they are crude and easy to spot.

[peterp]

Stan, I do not know if these wares were still (or rather again) made in the late Qing dynasty. It is just an "if..."
The production of Canton wares would probably have ended in the Daoguang reign, when all western traders had to leave Canton. If the production of such wares was resumed in the late Qing dynasty, they may look the same, but quality (age signs, etc.) would likely differ from those made in the 18th century.