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Thanks all for the responses. Be sure to take a look at the link I placed in another post for more and better images. The quality of the cobalt on this one seems to be a step up from the usual fakes. There is a noticeable presence of a granular (for lack of a better description) quality to the cobalt that was the result of inconsistent grinding during the Yuan period. It seems in period pieces you see tiny dots of darker blue present in the brush strokes that are the result of slightly larger granules of cobalt in the solution. In later wares this seems to have mostly disappeared and modern cobalt oxide is very consistent as a result of modern processes. Could it be that the craftsmen are now hand grinding their cobalt ore in order to mimic this effect? Also, take a look at the basin this seller is now listing. Another extraordinary object that also exhibits similar characteristics in the cobalt decoration. I don't recall seeing fakes before with this high quality of Yuan type cobalt. I know one must look at the entire object as a whole to make an assessment of originality but it was usually fairly easy to determine a fake or copy by the modern consistency of the cobalt. Has anyone seen this in the past? Also, the paste or clay body on this piece exhibits some areas where organic or mineral deposits have burned out in the firing leaving small pits or flaws on the surface. I have seen this on period pieces also but most modern wares seem to have a fairly clean and pure body.
On a side note, I am extremely pessimistic about finding anything of high quality and authenticity on internet auctions. That being said, I have personally bid on (mostly unsuccessfully) several items over the years that I have seen sell at major auction houses or from dealers for tens of thousands of dollars more than they sold for on the internet. I have not seen any Chinese ceramics that fit that category by the way and I certainly did not buy this jar. Nevertheless, it is extremely rare but it does happen occasionally. Anyway, here is the link again so you can all take a better look. Thanks.
http://cgi.ebay.com/A-YUAN-DYNASTY-SUMALI-BLUE-WHITE-JAR_W0QQitemZ250587595937QQcmdZViewItemQQptZAsian_Antiques?hash=item3a582f44a1
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