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Does anybody know why there is a double cercle on the base of some chinese jars?

I believe the story goes like this:

The use of imperial reign marks (nianhao) on porcelain had become a regular feature of ceramic production by the 15th century in Ming China. Concurrently, the habit had developed of using double circles to enclose such reign marks on the bottoms of vases, bowls, etc.

When the Qing dynasty succeeded the Ming in 1644, the use of nianhao initially continued but was suspended for a period by imperial edict during the Kangxi reign (1660-1722). Before the use of nianhao was again authorized, some kilns continued applying double circles to porcelains to suggest a reign mark.

The later use of a stand-alone double circle in place of reign mark was intended to link the porcelain to the Kangxi era.

Best regards,

Bill H

Hello,
this mark was used in the Kang Hsi reigne (1662-1722), but there is a lot of copies in modern peices.

Best Regards,

Tati

Hi Nathalie,

Nice question.
Since Ming times the double circle was part of the reignmark of the emperor. Problably also to nicely fit the characters in the centre. In the example you see six 6 characters wich reads Da Ming (great Ming dynasty) Wan li (Wanli = name of the emperor) Nian Zhi (period made). During some dynasties they also used 4 characters (without the dynasty) and they sometimes were placed in a double square. Often names of former emperors were used as in the example wich is from Kangxi period. About second half of the 19th. century they started to made porcelain in the same way as during the Kangxi period (Kangxi revival period) Beside making the decoration in (more or less) the same way they also used the double circle and the Kangxi (mostly 4 characters) reignmark. Since then a lot of ware was also made without the characters inside the circles probably to safe money because they needed caligraphers to write the characters.

Regards,

Arjan

Hi

Are the jars with only double circle always from 19th ?I have seen some of them presented as Kangxi one in serious galleries.

Best regards

Hi Nathalie,

No, certainly not. As Bill H. wrote (and he's allmost allways right) they made ware with only the circles during the Kangxi period before the use of the Kangxi reignmark was allowed. I'm not sure if it is that characteristic (and the reason for the use on 19th and 20th. ct. porcelain) for the period because they often used alternatives like Chenqua marks, shopmarks and symbols like censers, books, fungus etc. between the double circles. All in one; a jar with a double circle can certainly be of the Kangxi period.

Regards,

Arjan

Zhan Quzhong the director of the imperials factories ( 1677-1780) forbid the imperial nianhao during this period, only the double circle was used on the bottoms of the porcelains. After 1780, some paocelains continued to be made with a stand alone double circle without reignmark but the reason isn't so clear.We can imagine that it was to show that the vessel was made in the Kangxi period but not in imperails kilns.( I dont speak about the 19 th pieces)

Her is a double circle on the bottom of a Kangxi vase.

Hi Nathalie and others...

After my last post I realised that we are now talking about a (possible) Kangxi piece. If that's the case it isn't important why we find a lot of pieces with double circles (wich are often from 19th and 20th. ct.) I think the explanations of Bill H. and Yves are what you need in this case.

Regards,

Arjan

Wanli porcelain looks like was marked with a double ring mark as well

https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2021/two-americans-in-paris-the-collection-of-sam-and-myrna-myers/a-blue-and-white-moulded-mountain-dish-ming

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