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I purchased 3 pieces of cinnabar lacquer at an auction in 1975. I tried years ago to try and identify them but without success, so gave up. With the internet much more advanced now I thought I would try again. The first item is a 10" plate. The mark on the back I believe is Ming dynasty Xuande period but in a script that I have not seen anywhere else. It is similar to Shendu script but not exact. I know that the marks are not always reliable but how can you check if it is real or a 20th century fake. It has no cracks on the edge but geniune pieces that I have looked at don't always have cracks. The photos posted had to be shrunk therefore they have lost some detail.

yes, the mark says xuande, but it's positioning off center on the back of the piece suggests it can't possibly be correct, as such a mistake would not have been overlooked by quality control at the time. more likely, this is a much more recent piece.

Hi,
Thanks for your reply. The mark is dead centre. My photo made it look off centre as I tried to avoid shadows over the plate. I will look for an online photo sharing website to post the full size photos I have as I had to cut them down by too much to post them on this forum. The second plate is also very intricate in its carving. will let you know the location asap.
Chris

meanwhile, I suggest that you email Doug, who started a different thread here recently on the authenticity of a bronze that he has. He and his wife have much more expertise on lacquer than most of us will ever have.

Sorry for the late posting.

Your piece is a modern plastic copy of a famous Ming dynasty example on display in the National Palace Museum in Teipei. These copies were molded from the originals, and sold in the museum gift shop in the 1970s. 50 different types of pieces were reproduced in plastic and sold. There are thousands of these copies in circulation. Scammers often file off the NPM markings, and coat the piece in lacquer - sometimes adding bogus reign marks like your piece has.

Here is a photo of the priceless original.

Cheers

Doug

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