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.

Covered jade bottle with two handles and motif of lotus scrolls

Qing dynasty (1644-1911)

Hotan white jade in Xinjiang province.（Hindustan ware）

Height: 27.9 cm

Width: 11. 2 cm

Weight: 745 g

Hardness: 6.5

This precious compressed bottle adopted Hotan white jade from Xinjiang province. It possessed the style of Hindustan ware in Qing dynasty and held the pattern of south Asia overspread the entire form, motif, and carving skill.

Hindustan was a place name in northern region of India. Emperor Qianlong of Qing dynasty fascinated its elegant clemency; therefore substantial jade wares in good quality from India and Turkey were passed to Xinjiang province in China and paid tribute to Forbidden City in Beijing.

On the basis of “History of Qing dynasty – biography of concubine”, 214th volume stated that emperor Qianlong married a noble girl from Uyghur clan in the 18th century. She was called Rong concubine from Hezhuo family and was the daughter of Hezhalai whose title was Taiji. It was said that she naturally exuded a strong fragrance and was called fragrant concubine. In virtue of this marriage, blend of eastern and western culture entered China through abundant Islamic artifacts.

The oval-shaped bottle mouth followed with straight neck and broad bottom. Tall and flared foot was a hollow cylinder with oval foot ring. The ware apparel was decorated with lotus scrolls in low relief. The lotus showed pointy petal with multiple layers and conjoint leaf scrolls. The two handle on both sides presented leaf scrolls in S shape. The lid with bud-shaped button was embellished with a circuit of flower and leaf patterns. All the decorative patterns displayed symmetry and meticulous refinement in style of Islamic feature.

The jade bottle was carved with Hotan white jade from Xinjiang province. It has hardness of 6.5, specific gravity of 2.90 to 3.02, and average refractive index of 1.62. The white jade presented exquisite texture, milky white in little bluish tone, and partial small black spots. Besides, yellowish brown spot glorified the pure white jade.

Low relief was applied on vivid motif of this ware. The lotus was designed with concave petal. Handles on both sides used open work. This ware revealed subtle crafts in every corner. Emperor Qianlong had a saying about his favor of the delicate skill of Hindustan jade ware. “Sophisticated craftsmanship of Hindustan jade ware is superior to those from Suzhou in China”

The magnification demonstrated well polishing. The tool mark of lotus petal was in alignment that answered to ancient handicraft. The intaglio line of leaf scrolls showed no broken lines by multiple carving strokes and marks of handmade trimming on the surrounding.

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

Qing dynasty (1644-1911)
Length：4.7cm
Width：4.7cm
Height：8.5cm
Weight：290g

The square seal showed yellow color like loquat and had some radish veins under auburn shade. This smooth and crystalline texture constructed an extraordinary artwork.

The handle was shaped as a sitting Chihu turning the head to the right. The Chihu looked forward with bright eyes and opened mouth with revealed teeth. It held a string of antique coins with the mouth. 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. All of these displayed a forceful, lively, and mighty image.

Four seal sides applied low relief that depicted a pair of auspicious dragon encircling “longevity” amongst cloud sea. The exquisite carving expressed amusing taste.

Seal bottom was carved with seven characters by embossment. The sentence meant “Blossom occurs all over the city in springtime” and was from “The day of No fire” by Han Hong in Tang dynasty (618-907).