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Hello,

I picked this up a few days ago and although I’ve looked for several days I haven’t been able to find any information.

There are no identifying marks or signatures of any kind that I have found so far.

No marks on the bottom. It does appear to be old and is heavy and thick. It has a hole in the bottom about 3/4” in diameter, as if it’s a planter.

I enhanced the group photo to make the sculpture more visible. I’ve also included an original photo without enhancement so you can see the color.

I’d be very appreciative of any possible information. Age, country of origin, even what type of pottery it is.

Thank you very much, Tony

Sumida Gawa. Japanese.

Considering the elevated feet, this would appear from first glance to be a censer, featuring figures of the Eight Immortals of Daoism in the recesses. The flambé glaze colors and texturing, as well as the modeling of the Immortals, are very much signatures of the Shiwan (former Shekkwan) Kilns, in the Suburbs of Guangzhou (former Canton), in China's Guangdong Province. I'd speculate a dating of circa 1900 (late 19th early 20th century or late-Qing-to-Republic era.

If the hole is smoothly cut and fired into the base, it may have served to stabilize a fitted tray for holding the incense, Otherwise, someone may have tried to retread the piece as a planter.

Best regards,

Bill H.

Hello,

Thank you very much for taking the time to reply to my post.

Your depth of knowledge is amazing, and I’m very appreciative.

t’s obvious a lot of work goes into creating something like this, and knowing it’s history will make me appreciate it that much more.

Anthony Smith

I can certainly appreciate Jonathan thinking this might be Japanese Sumida Gawa ware, because I have a small collection of it myself. However, the Japanese Immortals group closest to the Chinese 'Eight Immortials' are the 'Seven Lucky Gods', and there are eight visible here. Also, the Sumida clay sculptors are slightly more freehand in modeling style than their Chinese counterparts, in my opinion. When consulting copious imagery contained in the authoritative book, 'Sumida According to Us', by Herbert Karp and Gardner Pond, neither did I find anything closely equivalent to the form of this piece.

Best regards,

Bill H.

I’d like to thank both Bill H and Jonathan again for their replies.

I thought this work was Sumida Gawa myself, because that was the only thing I could find that looked similar, although the subtle differences can be seen after someone went to the trouble to explain them to me.

This is the only piece of Asian pottery I own, so obviously I know nothing about it. I could just see that it was made by hand, and that’s what I liked about it.

Anyway, thanks again for the help.

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