Need help with Asian wood markings and date

If anyone can help with translation on this piece or age etc. it is appreciated

 

crim......did you try listing on "Asian Art Forums"?......it's an invaluable asian site!

 

@anton34 Yes I know about it but I always post a couple places for different opinions. Thank you

 

Really Nothing???? Not even a what it is

 

It is good for translations from Chinese and Japanese. Also for info on certain Chinese items. Not so much for many other Asian things.
For Middle East, South Asia, or Indonesia, Antiquers is much better. Even for much of mainland SE Asia.
And when European items accidentally find their way to the Asian Arts Forums, which happens, everyone is totally lost. They can't even think it could be European.
I have corrected some erroneous information there, and gave information on a few European silk items, but it is all too much work to hunt down every incorrect id. And I'd rather spend my time here.

 

Its looking like nobody knows much of anything on this one lol......

 

You don't know that, it has only been here since yesterday.
I'll tag some people, @JayBee , @Couch Potato Wannabe . Maybe someone else can think of who else to tag.

 

It resembles a hanging incense burner.

The individual characters in Chinese translate as follows:
竺 = thick, deep. ancient name of India
記 = to remember, memorize. keep in mind. write down. notes, records
房 = room, chamber. house, building. house-like structure
元 = original. the beginning. dollar

Hanging pots like these were filled with sand and had incense jos sticks lit and inserted into the sand. These were for prayers of remembrance, among other things. This could have been a smaller holder for a family's private residence as opposed to the larger varieties often seen used during family gatherings and ceremonies with larger attendances.

 

lol aside.... no need to paint us all with the same brush......
& we don't work on command......certainly , not now a days !!!

potato showed up.....& you have an answer !

 

In spud you should trust....

 

Exactly.

 

.... and IDs come to those who wait.
Thanks spud.

 

Thank you @Couch Potato Wannabe so is that the four characters on the sides or the what the lid says?

 

The characters on the sides and on the lid look the same to me.

 

Well one is actually slightly different lol......sorry had to. Any guess on age to this thing I can’t seem to find one

 

They do look the same to me also, however, there is a lot of glare on the lid photo, can you resupply a new image so I may better see the characters on the lid, since you mentioned they are different?

While you are at it, how about some photos with the lid off? and its interior.

 

Absolutely @Couch Potato Wannabe the third pic is the back of the lid. The characters on lid are the same I was just messing around.

 

Well, thus far I stand by my original thought, that this is a censer. The bowl is made in segmented panels of wood. This is a complicated way of making any bowl which may have been intended to hold a liquid, such as most food bowl for instance. It is not an issue for holding sand and incense jos sticks.
There's a bit of wear to the surface inside and the lid has split in places. I do not believe the bowl is super old, though there is very little design-wise to help it indicate any particular time period. It may be old, or simply made via the same method as some other old items. There would be ways to determine its age better, such as chemical testing of the wood treatments etc... but these cost money and are beyond most home methods for finding out. Usually reserved for it you feel there is potential great value in the item to be worth finding out. I do not believe this to be such an item..... that said, I am not an expert in the field, and making that kind of determination over the internet is always a lot harder.

 

Thank you for the great reply @Couch Potato Wannabe. So the lid was spilt and repaired with the piece of wood on the underside of the lid correct?

 

No, I don't believe so. The piece of wood on the underside of the lid is a common fixture in many types of lidded bowls of this nature, merely as a means to help keep the lid in place. The wood can still split when the wood is in place is the wood was exposed to sufficient moisture or even dry even temperatures. Certain types of wood require a bit of upkeep, such as oiling, in order to help prevent them cracking over time.