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Subject:Re: Chinese date mark
Posted By: rat Sat, Feb 14, 2015
Short answer: Practice/experience.
Slightly longer answer: The mark doesn't determine authenticity. It's just one of a number of elements that must be correct.
Longer answer: It depends on the medium. With paintings/calligraphy you can't tell. Rather you are looking at the style and determining from that whether the picture/writing is genuine and you arrive at a date by asking yourself whether that artwork is consistent with the style of the dynastic period in question, or if it has a specific cyclical date, what 60 year period (see "stems and branches") is stylistically closest to the date on your picture. With cast metal, lacquer, cloisonne, snuff bottles etc it's basically the same story. Often, however, one can determine that the object is an imitation or forgery, in which case the date inscribed/painted/carved etc on it is irrelevant anyway.
With ceramics there is a bit more to work with. First, reign marks generally were not painted on the base (or elsewhere) before the Ming, so anything otherwise is wrong. Second, certain formats and script types were used for marks on porcelain in certain periods for certain porcelain types, so you can learn about that. Third, some imperial porcelain marks were painted by a set number of individuals. in some cases their individual handwriting styles are recognizable. Fourth, some porcelains have marks applied with a rubber stamp rather than painted, so that narrows their date down. Etc. But extremely high quality reproductions of existing genuine marks can now be made and applied to high end forgeries, so after all is said and done, you are best off ignoring the mark as the primary determinant of authenticity and instead study whether the object's form, materials (paste/slip/colors/glazing, etc), and decorative style are consistent with genuine examples of the period.
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