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This small tea bowl has the dark blue glaze piling up in places to black which I understand is one characteristic of early Ming cobalt. The body is not pure white but a light blueish greyish white. Most curious is a kind of curdled effect throughout the glaze. The areas of discoloration suggests this piece was excavated after an extraordinarily long time in the earth. However the cup is perfect, without chip or crack. I am eager for any thoughts at all. About 2 1/4" in height. Please note that color is most accurate on the middle photo--it is a very dark blue, not bright as it looks in the first photo. The blackish spots in the blue dont really show up in the photos--they would at higher resolution--but they are there--I can try to add another photo in comments.

Realize my actual questions aren't clear. They are: might this be a Ming tea bowl? (As far as can be told from a photo--so I might put it this way: are there signs that suggest it is not so early?) And, what could have caused the strange curdling of the glaze? (A separation of tiny white flecks, like milk mixed into orange juice.) And any other thoughts on this cup.

Looking at a few shipwreck pieces shown on these boards, I see others that have these strange little white grains, effects of seawater. Can anyone confirm that this is the case? Also this bowl is not at all translucent. Would the glaze deterioration cause the glaze to become opaque? If not, does that opacity help to date the cup? I understand that Ming porcelain is always translucent. Thank you!

Sorry to keep amending myself here--the cup is quite translucent--I had not held a light up to the base and looked inside and it is absolutely translucent.

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