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I think it has value but just I wanted to make sure that it is an imperial seal and possibly time period. This is a beautiful piece and any info would be much appreciated. Thanks

In the future when you have given a little study to Chinese porcelains and their decoration, you will be able to say the following about your vase:

--Its decoration shows no sign of rose-pink enamels created using colloidal gold. Since such rose-pink does not pervade the decorative scheme here, the decoration can not be called "famille rose." That term was invented in the 19th century by French collectors to describe the enamel color scheme first used in the first half of the 18th century. An internet search will give you some historical details.

--The vines have many different shapes attached to them to fill space as "leaves." Some of these shapes are not in the Chinese repertoire of flowering-vine leaves. An internet search for lotus scroll will begin to give you an idea.

--The handles on the neck are decorated by small-dot shading, which is not a traditional method in China. Can you tell what the handles are supposed to represent? I cannot tell from your photographs.

--There should be five bats, a rebus for good fortune, rather than four.

--The blue mark in seal characters on the base does, if rotated 90 degrees clockwise, read from top right and down, "Da Qing Qian Long nian zhi" Great Qing (dynasty) Qianlong reign made. If it was not stamped, it was applied by a painter with a very steady hand. This has been a popular mark to put on porcelains for almost 150 years. The Qianlong reign was 1736-1795. In most cases such reign marks should be considered part of the decoration, although sometimes used to try to deceive buyers into thinking that a piece was actually made during that reign (as in fake or fraud). An experienced collector would not think that your vase was made during that reign.

I will rely on others to say where they think your vase was decorated.

I have attached an image with each seal character in your vase's mark separated so you can see what is what.

Take clear side view shots of the objects so we can see their true shapes. This is very important. Clear pictures of the entire foot rim and close-ups will help too. Then more close-ups of the enamels and/or glaze.

Your distorted and angled shots do not reveal much info.

here are some more pictures

Still no complete profile view as suggested by TD. Still no view of a spotted handle straight-on.

If you plan to post a forum query in the future, a little practice in photos that are not angled, which conceals part of the shape, will help future viewers to evaluate an item. Imagine a string running vertically straight through an item, then point your imaging device 90 degrees to direction of the string, showing complete profile of item.

The preceding new picture of the bottom appears to show that the area within the foot rim has been sloppily re-glazed and given a new mark. It may be that the vase originally bore a different, less prestigious mark or one that was obliterated, because the vase had been drilled to use as a lamp base.

Tony Allen mentions in his new book, "Allen's Antique Chinese Porcelain--The Detection of Fakes", the case where a Chinese Republic-period vase had been given an entirely new base with a Kangxi period mark. I doubt that Andrew's vase would be mistaken for a Qianlong period piece by a major auction house, but it may be proof that the fakesters haven't given up trying to fool buyers.

Best regards,

Bill H.

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