What do the marks on China mean?
The markings on fine china are like fingerprints that can lead you to the identity of the manufacturer or the artist, and the piece’s age and origin. The marks may appear as letters, symbols, numbers, dates, logos or even signatures, based on the company or potter who made the item.
How do I tell if my Chinese vase is valuable?
The best one can do is take into account the overall rarity of the piece, the shape, period and decoration and base your valuation on recent auction records.
What do numbers on ceramics mean?
There are marks that indicate a specific mold called a mold number. These numbers often look like dates such as 1953 or 1789. It is rare that a piece of pottery will have a date stamped or embossed into its base. If a number looks like a date or a year, it is most likely a mold number.
What are antique china marks?
Porcelain marks are the fingerprints of antique china. Serving as both evidence of its origin, age, and often times, quality, the makers mark on a porcelain item is the first place many collectors look before making a purchase. For any piece of fine china, the porcelain mark is a symbol of pride in the manufacturer’s workmanship.
What is ancient Chinese pottery?
Ancient China Pottery. Ancient China Pottery is one of the oldest in the world. Ceramics were used for making pots before bronze was invented. Vessels of clay were used mostly for rituals or for any other utility purpose. Thereafter Kilns were discovered in China. Chinese were one of the first people to use Potters wheels after a couple of years.
What are antique porcelain marks?
One of the most common antique porcelain marks found on ceramics throughout the ages is the reign or period mark (Jinian Mark). Antique pottery marks of this type are known to have existed as inscribed marks on ancient pottery as early as the Qin and Han dynasties (see China history timeline).
What is Chinese ceramic?
Chinese ceramic ware is an art form that has been developing since the neolithic period. There are two primary categories of Chinese ceramics, low-temperature-fired pottery or táo (陶, about 950-1200 ℃) and high-temperature-fired porcelain or cí (瓷, about 1250-1400 ℃). The history of Chinese ceramics began some eight thousand years ago with the crafting of hand-molded earthenware