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Is this vase Republic Period or a modern reproduction. I think the enameling and artwork is quite good, but the coral handles are quite crude and the base is thickly potted. Any thoughts?

Well that is a pretty funny mark, "Da Qing Qian Guang"

I would not call it a 'reproduction' of Republic period - a huge variety of wares were made during that time, notably more or less successful imitations of 18th-century glazes and styles plus some very artistically decorated wares around the time when Yuan Shikai was in power.

Despite the middling quality of enamels, not very badly decorated, perhaps made shortly before World War II. But whoever wrote the mark either was making a joke or got mixed up between writing retrospective Qianlong reign marks and possibly Daoguang marks.

Good luck,
Cal

Thanks for your help Cal. What type of time period do you think this moon flask dates to? If Yuan Shikai period, it would be shortly after the fall of the Qing Dynasty. So it does have some age? What I meant by reproduction was something made yesterday.

It must've been hard to switch gears on the production line for calligraphers. Here's an overglaze iron red example of a 'Qianxu' mark in the knop of a covered teacup.

I reckon this piece to be about 1900-1925. I've seen other porcelains in this pattern classed as Guangxu 'mark & period', which isn't out of the question for this bowl, because the Qianlong mark was faked frequently along with other earlier nianhao during Guangxu times.

Best regards,

Bill H.

Thanks Bill! Any idea if this dates to the dying days of the Qing Dynasty or after its fall?

By refer to Yuan Shikai only meant very wide range of things made during Republic, no "Republic style" that would be *reproduced* or *imitated*. There are frauds - things with marks supposed to be of Republic period. For example there has been some debate about whether there ever was a Yuan Shikai Imperial mark and if so what it was, and if not what pieces were made during his supremacy.

There are reproductions made today, but there is mistaken idea of some that all items made lately would be "reproductions" instead of being their own type of thing, such as recent products Jun kilns, using transmutation glaze formulas including various proportions copper, manganese, iron.

Your flask I think within range of things made during Republic period, with not very good materials and I think perhaps made late 1930s. The color scheme and mix of styles would not be very marketable 1960s or 1980s to present, but 1960s not impossible.

A reproduction of 'fake' type could imitate something believed have big price if mistaken for original, or could be something made in earlier style with no intending to sell as if original. But must be particular type of ware/decoration.

Good luck,
Cal

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