Chinese Ceramic Marks Porcelain

Reign marks should be studied alongside the many different variations of hallmarks auspicious marks potters marks and symbols that you find on the bases of chinese porcelain throughout the ages.

Chinese ceramic marks porcelain.

In china porcelain marks or pottery marks on antiques had mostly a different purpose and way of expression than those used in the west since at least the 17th or 18th century. Almost at the same time that the chinese invented porcelain they also invented marks and copies sometimes to learn sometimes to honor sometimes to deceive sometimes to replace sometimes just to meet a demand. In the world of ming and qing dynasty art knowing how to look at a reign mark is a key asset for any collector specialist or enthusiast to correctly identify the date and the value of a piece of chinese porcelain. Marks of earlier periods have been used throughout almost the history of chinese porcelain.

Identify a mark by shape. Reign marks are usually four or six characters in length and can be found on the base or the side of an item. Marks listed below are from antiques that are about 80 years old or older. Reign marks can play a pivotal role in helping to identify the period in which chinese artefacts were created.

A collection of pottery marks using photos and images from our antique collection for easy reference and as a quick guide to the possible attribution of your latest porcelain collectible or pottery marks. A useful reference book is the handbook of marks on chinese ceramics gerald davison london 1994. This selection of marks below contains mainly chinese porcelain marks of the ming and qing dynasties and a few republic period antique marks. Chinese porcelain reign marks identification.

Selection of chinese porcelain marks. There was a brief time during the kangxi period in 1667 when the emperor issued an edict forbidding the use of his reign mark on porcelain in case the ceramics were smashed and discarded. The most common marks on porcelain tend to be written in underglaze blue within a double circle. The shende tang was completed in 1831 thus making daoguang pieces with this mark attributable to the two decades between 1831 and 1850.

Marks found on chinese ceramics are significantly different from those on european antique ceramics. Some marks look like a circle square bird or animal shape etc. The marks listed below are grouped as far as was possible in a logical order with similar signs graphics shapes etc grouped together. Later reigns often used reign marks of earlier emperors on chinese porcelain etc.

Marks with letters are listed in alphabetical order.