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The subject of this 5.6 inch-tall 'gu' or beaker vase is presented for the general interest and comment of forum members. Also, information is sought as to whether anyone has ever encountered another identical example, published or in a collection. I've looked hard for anything like it but can't find one.

The vase was purchased recently from a reputable dealer who buys from stable old estates. His reliability and my research thus far suggests the item is an authentic Guangxu mark & period piece. The bases for that judgment are:

-- The six character standard kaishu script mark of 'Da Qing Guang Xu Nian Zhi' (Made during the Guangxu Reign of the Great Qing Dynasty) is consistent with period examples of similiar incised marks illustrated in auction catalogs and other sources, as well as on other pieces I've owned or handled.

The carving style compares well with that of Wang Bingrong, a reknowned Jingdezhen carver whose lifetime spanned the Daoguang through the late years of the Qing Dynasty. He probably was most prolific during the Tongzhi and Guangxu years. Confusion has reigned over exactly when Wang lived and worked, with some giving the range as 1820 to circa 1875. However, I'm pegging my assumption of a longer career on the latest conclusions of Chinese sources.

-- What points stylistically to Wang Bingrong or perhaps one of his students are nuances such as pointing the eyes, beak and legs of the crane in black enamel, something other carvers practiced but often only on the eyes. Wang's style emerges as well in the round 'bathroom brush' form of his pine-needle clumps, along with what I think is a more economical way of modeling in slightly lower relief (although some of this may reflect the thickness of this particular glaze). Chen Guozhi and some of Wang's other contemporaries often modeled in what apparently is much higher relief

-- The thick glaze is a yellowish green that I think qualifies as lime-colored but is a shade darker than the typical lime bought from the market produce vendor. Wang's works in apparently the same color are shown in Georg Weishaupt's 'The Great Treasure' and the Christies auction archive. The surface of my gu has a rather tactile 'orange peel' quality. As best seen on the base. There has been a tendency in this glaze for small pools of darker pigment to form, which has enhanced the 'orange peel' effect. I've seen the same kind of orange peel on some late Qing bowls with floral sprays on green sgrafitto scroll grounds, which pieces have underglaze blue pseudo marks or sometimes apocryphal marks of Jiaqing or Qianlong on their white bottoms.

In sum, I can't find anything about this piece to suggest it is anything but a period original, but what do I know compared to some of the real experts out there?

Cheers,

Bill H.

Hi Bill,
Beautifully incised mark but the grey "powdery" looking foot is in my experience not contemporary with a Guangxu dating.
I too have not seen another like it.
Cheers
Tony

Bill that is a nice vase. I have a pair of turquoise glaze vase with similar crane but carved in mirror image dating to the 19th century. Some lime green glaze pieces with very fine carving come with Chen Gouzhi marks carved in relief. Such pieces usually date from mid to late 19th century. Unfortunately I no longer own one to show you.

Compare this vessel to some actual Wang Bingrong vessels. Christies has a photo of a snuff bottle by Wang that is less than half the size of this beaker but much more finely carved. I don't think the same man created this beaker. Are you certain that it is carved rather than moulded?

I'm much obliged for everyone's remarks and Lee's photos. I've attached another set of images herewith to support further comments.

First regarding Tony's observations concerning the foot. The apparent grey and powdery look of the biscuit was primarily due to my lack of tidiness I believe. The foot apparently absorbed environmental stains along with furniture oil from a wooden stand over the years. I've used a bit of detergent on it and taken another photo, which I believe shows a what more resembles a decent grade of Jingdezhen clay.

Rat your point is well taken. I have the Christies listing for that snuff bottle in my research file for this piece and agree that it is much finer work. This is the kind of variance that prompts me to leave open the possibility of the gu being by one of Wang's students or copiers.

I lack the experience in carved porcelains to say with confidence whether this one might be molded instead. For instance I'm unsure of the precise techniques used by Wang and his contemporaries; i.e., did they mold a basic shape and actually tool the surface to produce the design, or was the decoration created on a flat surface, then applied to the body of a vase in the manner of Wedgwood jasperware (or at least I think that's how they did it).

Whatever the case with the gu, it appears to be made of high-fired and vitrified porcelain as opposed to soft paste. There are what seem to be turning marks visible on the interior of the piece around the bottom and mouth (the bottom has some dirt from use in it that was wet from my cleaning when the photo was taken). Unlike slip-molded vases, this one is heavy and fairly thick-walled, weighing 10.8 ounces (30.5) grams, so seems like it was indeed made to be used and not just look pretty.

Thanks and best regards,

Bill H.

The rainbow color of reflected light and the black spots on the glaze are both good signs that they are Guangxu mark and period. The small black material in the glaze are due to carbon residue from the wood fired furnace. The rain bow color reflection is due to old flux material(bismuth compound?) in the glaze. Both are good indicators, even thought these are also replicated in advance fakes currently produced in China.

Lee, many thanks again for your input.
Best regards,
Bill H.

Further to my earlier comments, I reviewed some more volumes among my references and came across these photos and caption as No. 99 in 'Vom Schatz der Drachen' (From the Dragon's Treasure), the 1987 catalog of the Weishaupt collection by Gunhild Avitabile. If this image reproduces as well as it shows in the book, then virtually all of the glaze characteristics of the gu vase will be visible in this Tongzhi mark & period bowl. I doubt that I'll ever be able to call the decoration more than 'Wang Bingrong style', but I'm fairly confident at this point that the gu vase is Guangxu mark & period.

Thanks to all,

Bill H.

Bill,
You may want to compare your piece to this brush pot from Sotheby's London 4 nov. 2009. Lot 230. This brush pot has similar craving: cane and pine tree cravings and same glaze. I have the paper catalog but the picture is too small to see the details. Sotheby seems not have picture of this piece in their website, but I did not look very hard. I hope this help.

KK, I appreciate your help. I was able to locate the online catalog in the Sotheby's archive and had a close-up look at the brushpot. The carving is very similar in style, though the glaze itself is somewhat smoother than my vase and has little if any orange peel that I could detect. Much obliged, Bill H.

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