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I recently purchased these pieces. I believe it was done by the artist Liu Yucen. Am I correct? and can anyone help with translation and or the year of the piece? Thank you in advance.

This inscription includes a cyclical date of mid-summer of the jimao year, equating to 1939. Liu Yucen was in his prime at that time, but his talent was superior to that seen in the work shown here. I've pasted a URL herein (it's too long for the forum's URL Link) which should get you to a Sotheby's auction result for four plaques done by Liu in the same year. The difference should be self evident. Also you'll see how the lower seal on yours is at variance with the one shown in the Sotheby images. It is my impression from what I've seen at garage sales (and on one occasion bought on spec), that Liu's style and signature were widely but poorly copied in China after his death in 1969.

If for some reason the link doesn't work when pasted nto your browser, try a Google search of "Eight Friends of Zhushan" & "Liu Yucen" as keywords and you should get the same site.

Best regards,

Bill H.

http://www.sothebys.com/en/catalogues/ecatalogue.html/2012/fine-chinese-ceramics-and-works-of-art-n08834#/r=/en/ecat.fhtml.N08834.html+r.m=/en/ecat.lot.N08834.html/321/+r.o=/en/ecat.notes.N08834.html/321/

Bill,
Thank you for all your help. It is greatly appreciated. Joe

looks absolutely lovely, yet I am skeptical it is Liu Yucen, partly due to the inscription's calligraphy, partly due to the fineness of the decoration, which seems rather different from Liu's style. But I'm no ceramics expert.

Rat,
Thank you for all your help. It is greatly appreciated. Joe

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