Ripe chestnut yellow field-yellow stone seal with handle of two Chihus

Qing dynasty (1644-1911)
Length：4.6cm
Width：4.6cm
Height：13.8cm
Weight：640g

The rectangle seal had boxy seal bottom and presented yellow color as ripe chestnut in auburn shade. There were also apparent radish veins and red veins. Mild and translucent texture formed good quality.

The seal handle performed two sitting Chihus in relationship of mother and son. Big Chihu turned around her head to the right and small Chihu looked up to the left while sitting on mother’s back. The two Chihus illustrates features of protruding eyes, side vision, spirited look, open mouth, and revealed teeth. In addition, their furcated and curled horns were combined with a string of hair backward. Forktails were close to the backside. Beard of big Chihu placed naturally down to the chest. They both had traits of hunch back, sharp claws, and powerful muscle. Vividness, mightiness and motherliness depicted the whole picture.

Bas-relief was applied on four seal sides. The top side was carved with dragon-shaped beast and Hui pattern. The lower side demonstrated a phoenix and auspicious clouds. Elaborately carving formed a lifelike picture.

Relief seal bottom expressed seven characters. “Clarion of fledgling phoenix towers over adult phoenix” It was done by Li Shangyin of Tang dynasty (618-907).

Loquat yellow field-yellow stone seal with handle of Chihu looking left rear

Qing dynasty (1644-1911)
Length：4.5cm
Width：4.5cm
Height：9cm
Weight：375g

The boxy seal was in standard shape and quality. It showed loquat yellow with some auburn shade. There were some clear radish veins. This seal was in good quality due to sleek and translucent texture.

The seal handle displayed a squatting Chihu looking left rear. The Chihu got features of muscular eyes, forward vision, spirited look, exposed teeth and open mouth with glossy ganoderma. Two forked and curled horns were combined with a string of hair and were closely toward the back. Besides, there were traits of hunch back, curled forktail, sharp claws, and powerful muscle. These traits showed a forceful, lively, and mighty image.

Low relief was used on four seal sides. A dragon-shaped beast roaming in the sky performed delicate and amusing carving.

Seven words were incised on seal bottom by relief carving. “Millions of green tussock serve as a foil to a stunning red flower” was written by Wang Anshi of Song dynasty (960-1279) in his poem, “Sing of pomegranate blossom”.

Meip’ing vase with underglaze-blue decoration of clouds and dragon

Ming dynasty(1644-1911)
Unmarked
Height: 34.6 cm
Mouth Diameter: 7 cm
Bottom Diameter: 15.1 cm
Weight: 3610 g

Small curl mouth, short neck, abundant shoulder, narrowed body, shallow foot ring, and delicate sand bottom constructed a vase with decoration of dragon, cross cloud, billows, mountain, and so on. The underglaze-blue dragon showed vigorousness and vividness among raging waves. There were also gorgeous underglaze-blue color and natural iron rust spots with silver reflection. The firm and white clay showed sleekness and moist on ware bottom.

Golden yellow field-yellow steatite seal with handle of a cluster of Chidragon

Qing dynasty (1644-1911)
Length：5cm
Width：5cm
Height：8cm
Weight：460g

Field-yellow steatite was very rare gem in the field of field-yellow stone. It was used to pay tribute to royal court in the past history.

The shape and quality of this seal was in perfect condition. There were characteristics of translucency, clarity, and glittering. It presented not only golden yellow in tangerine shade but also clear radish veins.

Three Chidragons showed animated energy and were placed evenly on seal handle. Two big ones were tangling and playing among surging clouds. The other small one was trying to take a look at big dragons amongst cloud. The whole carving demonstrated magnificent picturesqueness.

Low relief shaped a cluster of Chidragons on four seal sides. Moreover, the small Chidragon expressed four kinds of poster. The expressions were anxiety while climbing, impatience while peeking, excitement while watching, and contentment while leaving. The beautiful and exquisite carving fully expressed different taste.

Embossment applied on seal bottom with 12 words. “Unconscious of sun in motion on still water. Still moon seems to move with shifting clouds.”

Flask with four handles and underglaze-blue decoration of flower, dragon, and phoenix

Ming dynasty (1644-1911)
Unmarked
Height: 40 cm
Mouth Diameter: 7.1 cm
Bottom Diameter: 26.2 cm
Weight: 6865 g

Small mouth, curve lips, and flat rectangle body constructed a typical flask with four handles in Yuan dynasty. Natural and bold decoration performed two dragons in pursuit of pearl, chrysanthemum scrolls, double phoenixes, billows, clouds and others on ware body. Powerful and vivid dragon showed sharp three claws. Grayish underglaze-blue color presented light tone and brown iron rust spots at thick pigment area. Besides, the ware displayed bluish white glaze, loose clay, and black iron spots.

Chicken oil field-yellow stone seal with handle of lying ancient beast

Chicken oil field-yellow stone seal with handle of lying ancient beast
Qing dynasty (1644-1911)

Length：5.5cm
Width：5.5cm
Height：6.2cm
Weight：425g

This square seal was in standard shape and presented yellow color as chicken oil. There were some apparent radish veins. Uniform shade, purities, translucency and sleekness were in good quality. This was an excellent seal in delicate texture and crystalline brightness.

The handle depicted an ancient beast lying in the center. The beast was facing backward and possessed traits of bright eyes, open mouth, bushy beard, and forked horns. The hair was curled toward the back and close to body. It also had hunch back and two curled tails. The beast performed lifelike image.

Three seal sides were incised with sentences. The front side contained 28 characters from “Writing Jinling crossing” by Zhang Hu of Tang dynasty. “Harboring in Jinling ferry and staying overnight in hill hall with a sorrowful heart. The moon shines over the tidal waves while looking lights in the opposite bank.” Moreover, other side was inscribed with “Good bye poem” by Zhang Rong of Southern dynasties (420-589). The twenty-character verse described meaning as below. “White clouds are evanescing over the mountain. Fresh wind is blowing through the pine trees. There are too many sorrows to bear your parting. At last, only a sole fellow stays and looks the bright moon.” The other side was engraved with date in seven characters.

The relief seal bottom illustrated 14 words from Preface of holy religion compiled by Huairen in Tang dynasty (618-907). The sentence illustrated “Refreshing writing paints the world color. Literary classic resounds by inscription.”

The Procedure of Chinese Antique Appraisal by dcl-CARD

Antiques manifested cultural and aesthetic essence. It possessed value for appreciation, collection, and research in virtue of rarity. For a start, visual appraisal was basic step to evaluate every feature of antiques by personal expertise. More importantly, favorable scientific appraisal played a role of analyzing character of antique material by technical instruments.


I. Examination and comparison of antique craftsmanship:

Antiques was valuated visually and compared with database on the basis of ware form, decoration, pigment, glaze, clay and reign mark.

II. Favorable scientific appraisal :

Antiques was valuated by micrograph and compared with database on account of pigment, glaze, clay and glaze bubbles.

III. 16 steps of antique appraisal:

A. Craftsmanship appraisal by visual appraisal and library database:

(1)Ware form: Each era had distinct ware form in favor. Database of ware form helped defining era of production.

(2) Volume / Weight: Every period designed ware in different thickness. For instance, ware from Yuan dynasty performed heavy and thick style and ware from Ming and Qing dynasties tended to be lighter design.

(3) Decoration: decoration features were crucial to division of history into periods. The drawing and style varied to fit in with changes of dynasties. Specific decoration in specific period was filed in decoration database.

(4) Reign mark: There were several antiques with reign mark which was compared to prove genuineness.

(5) Glaze Color: When there is no ash, there is no glaze. Ash had direct influence on glaze color in grayish, bluish, or whitish tone in terms of ash amount, plant ash, or mineral ash. For example, underglaze-blue porcelains of Ming dynasty presented stable glaze color and those from Qing dynasty presented bright translucency.

(6) Glaze Quality: Glaze exquisiteness, glaze thickness, orange peel effect, or sand hole was one of features for distinguishing antique era.

(7) Trimming: Trimming of ware and its foot ring varied in distinct dynasty. Taking example from Yuan dynasty, large ware was jointed without much trimming. Meticulous trimming and no scraping mark were peculiar to Ming and Qing dynasty.

(8) Clay Color: Diverse formula of clay material existed in distinct kiln, region, and period. Thus, fired porcelains presented diversified clay color as like yellow, gray, and white.

(9) Clay Quality: Clay panning affected degree of exquisiteness. Citing an instance for clay in Yuan dynasty, it was less refined than that of Ming dynasty. By contrast, the clay of Ming dynasty had firmer texture and fewer air holes and impurities than that of Yuan dynasty.

(10) Iron Rust Spots: Iron rust spots were produced by pigment of underglaze-blue porcelains that contained cobalt oxide. The pigment in used of coloring agent was generally divided into local pigment and imported pigment. After firing the porcelains, imported pigment produced iron rust spots with silver reflection due to high amount of ferric oxide. On the other hand, local pigment didn’t produce iron rust spots. Appraising antique included to compare information and photos of iron rust spots on underglaze-blue porcelains in every period.

B. Favorable scientific appraisal by technical examination and data comparison:

(11) Magnification of pigment, glaze, clay, and glaze bubbles: Database had stored up magnification of porcelains from each period on pigment, glaze, and clay by magnifying power of 10X to 200X.

(12) Color spectrum: Spectrum analysis assisted to calculate era of porcelain.

(13) Fluorescent reflection: fluorescent reflection helps to distinguish between antique porcelain and new porcelain.

C. Shard appraisal and analysis by technical examination and library database

(14) Clay
(15) Pigment
(16) Glaze Material


※ Element analysis was measured by Model JSM-6360 in the TA-I Technology Co., Ltd.


Conclusion：

Above are brief illustration of porcelain appraisal by dcl-CARD, whose antique appraisal requires not only visual appraisal but also scientific techniques. dcl-CARD is trying to build database system for comparing all the information. The more complete the database becomes, the more efficient antique appraisal reaches.