There are a number of things to look for when starting to collect Chinese ceramics. The most important thing is to buy what you love - this should always be the main driving force behind your decision to make a purchase. Try to buy the best quality example your budget will allow. And here are a few practical tips and things to consider.
1. Learn about the various kilns and the distinction in glazes between kiln sites
Lot 73 - Song glaze A VERY RARE SMALL GUAN VASE, HU SONG DYNASTY (960-1279)
Ceramics were made all over China and kilns in the North and South produced different types of wares and glazes. For example, in the Song dynasty (960-1279) you get beautiful celadon glazed ceramics from the Longquan located in the Southwest Zhejiang province, and also the Yaozhou kilns in the Northern China Shaanxi province. The celadon glazes differ between these two kilns with the Longquan glaze often giving a bluish-green tone compared with the Yaozhou glazes that were more olive in tone. The Guan ware kilns at Laohudong and Jiaotanxia in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province produced wares with subtle greyish-blue glazes enhanced by a deliberate crackle which resembled the fissures in jade. The Dehua kilns specialised in ceramics with white and cream glazes. In the late Ming dynasty in the 17th century the Dehua wares were creamy in tone but by the 19th century these became more ivory and white. From the Ming dynasty, the kilns at Jingdezhen in the South of China produced most of the blue and white ceramics.
Lot 72 - Longqyan A LONGQUAN CELADON CONG-FORM VASE SOTHERN SONG-YUAN DYNASTY (1127-1368)
Lot 334 - Dehua A DEHUA STANDING FIGURE OF GUANDI 17TH CENTURY
2. Familiarise yourself with the different palettes and glazes and when they were introduced
Lot 131 - Wucai A WUCAI RECTANGULAR 'DRAGON' BOX AND COVER MING DYNASTY (1368-1644)
For example, the wucai (literally five-colour) palette was used in the Wanli period (1573-1619); from this palette came the famille verte palette introduced in the 17th century and the Kangxi period (1662-1722). This features a predominant green enamel together with blue, red, yellow and black. The famille rose palette was added to the ceramic painters' repertoire in the 1720s and featured a prominent rose colour; the enamels are opaque and there is a wider repertoire of colours. In the 18th century there were many technical advances and glazes were introduced such as the copper-red glazes and flambé glazes.
Lot 338 - Famille verte A LARGE FAMILLE VERTE ROULEAU VASE KANGXI PERIOD (1662-1722)
Lot 78 - Famille rose A TURQUOISE-GROUND FAMILLE ROSE 'FIVE BOYS' VASE QIANLONG SIX-CHARACTER SEAL MARK IN IRON-RED AND OF THE PERIOD (1736-1795)
3. Familiarise yourself with changes in underglaze blue decoration from the Ming to the Qing dynasty
Lot 70 - 18th century potters A RARE MING-STYLE BLUE AND WHITE FLORAL VASE YONGZHENG SIX-CHARACTER MARK IN UNDERGLAZE BLUE WITHIN A DOUBLE-CIRCLE AND OF THE PERIOD (1723-1735)
This timeless Chinese decoration changed a lot over the centuries both in the designs favoured and the tone of the cobalt blue when fired. This helps with dating - a characteristic of 15th century blue and white porcelain is the so-called 'heaped and piled effect' - when the underglaze cobalt blue concentrates in certain areas, bubbling through the surface of the glaze and turning a deep blue-black. This inadvertently gave texture, energy and shading to the design and was highly admired in the 18th century when potters sought to copy the techniques on archaistic pieces made out of reverence for this early golden period. However, by the 18th century potters had mastered the technique of firing blue and white wares to achieve a more even, uniform cobalt blue tone and this was widely used on most porcelain. The blue varied throughout the dynasties. For example, during the Wanli period (1573-1619) blue and white wares often have a greyish-blue tone; in the Jiajing period (1522-1566) blue and white wares tend to have a vibrant, almost purplish blue.
Lot 130 - Wanli period A BLUE AND WHITE 'POMEGRANATE' EWER WANLI PERIOD (1573-1619)]
Lot 129 - Jiajing period A BLUE AND WHITE RECTANGULAR CRICKET-BOX AND COVER JIAJING SIX-CHARACTER MARK IN UNDERGLAZE BLUE AND OF THE PERIOD (1522-1566)
4. Familiarise yourself with marks
Lot 652 – A SET OF TWELVE BLUE AND WHITE 'LOTUS' DISHES KANGXI SIX-CHARACTER MARK IN UNDERGLAZE BLUE AND OF THE PERIOD (1662-1722) DAOGUANG SIX-CHARACTER SEAL MARK IN UNDERGLAZE BLUE AND OF THE PERIOD (1821-1850) TONGZHI SIX-CHARACTER MARK IN UNDERGLAZE BLUE AND OF THE PERIOD (1862-1874)
Reign marks state the dynasty and the name of the emperor for which an item was made. They were used on all ceramics made for the Emperor and his Imperial household. Familiarise yourself with the reign marks used in each period but do not rely on a reign mark to establish the age of a piece. Marks were often copied and can be apocryphal. A useful reference book is The Handbook of Marks on Chinese Ceramics, Gerald Davison, London, 1994. This lists all the Imperial Ming and Qing dynasty reign marks that appear in seal script form, zhuanshu, and regular form, kaishu. These should be studied together with the many different variations of hallmarks, auspicious marks, potters' marks and symbols that you find on the bases of Chinese porcelain throughout the ages.
Lot 662 – A GROUP OF EIGHT BLUE AND WHITE 'DRAGON' DISHES FIVE WITH DAOGUANG SIX-CHARACTER SEAL MARKS IN UNDERGLAZE BLUE AND OF THE PERIOD (1821-1850) THREE WITH GUANGXU SIX-CHARACTER MARKS IN UNDERGLAZE BLUE AND OF THE PERIOD (1875-1908)
5. Pay attention to shapes and proportions
Lot 71 - Song monochrome A BLACK GLAZED TEA BOWL SONG DYNASTY (960-1279)
The shapes of ceramics changed and evolved throughout the dynasties. Familiarise yourself with the different shapes in different periods. For example, Song dynasty ceramics often drew on nature for their inspiration and have foliate forms. Ceramics from the Song dynasty are all about combining simple forms with beautiful monochrome glazes. Chinese ceramics also have beautiful proportions. A vase or bowl that looks out of proportion is an indication that a neck or mouth has been ground down.
Lot 65 – A RARE PAIR OF MOULDED PALE CELADON-GLAZED BOWLS YONGZHENG UNDERGLAZE-BLUE SIX-CHARACTER MARKS WTIHIN DOUBLE CIRCLES AND OF THE PERIOD (1723-1735)
6. Consider condition
Lot 134 - 17th century non-Imperial example A BLUE AND WHITE GLOBULAR JAR SHUNZHI PERIOD (1644-1661)
What is an acceptable condition? This depends on whether the ceramic is Imperial quality or not and when it was made. For example, on a non-Imperial porcelain vessel made in the 17th century you would expect to see some kiln grit or kiln dust to the base and perhaps a firing flaw that would have occurred in the kiln. These would be acceptable and would not be considered condition issues. However, you would not expect to find these kind of kiln flaws on an 18th century Imperial mark and period ceramic as the standard would have been higher and the firing techniques more refined.
Lots 69 - 18th Century Imperial A RARE MING-STYLE BLUE AND WHITE PILGRIM FLASK, BIANHU YONGZHENG SIX-CHARACTER SEAL MARK IN UNDERGLAZE-BLUE AND OF THE PERIOD (1723-1735)
Previously, only mint condition mark and period ceramics would have been considered acceptable to collectors, now collectors will accept certain condition flaws. For example, ceramics that have been broken and restored or have hairline cracks may still be bought.
Lot 74 - example of a restored piece A RARE IRON-RED AND UNDERGLAZE-BLUE DECORATED SQUARE-FORM VASE, GU WANLI SIX-CHARACTER MARK IN UNDERGLAZE-BLUE WITHIN A RECTANGLE AND OF THE PERIOD (1573-1620)
7. Ask questions
Building the knowledge needed to authenticate Chinese ceramics can take years. Reading reference books can give a structure to the field but pick specialists' brains and ask as many questions as possible. There is nothing that a specialist with a little time on their hands likes better than to talk about their subject
