Famille rose dressing table set

I picked up three of these today. Two of them just comprise of base and lid while the third has an insert with a hole in the middle. Could be done kind of oil burner may be. Two of them have the remnants of wax seals on the base with what looks like the word customs on them. I guess this could be a clue to their age. Before they invented printers anyway

 

So it looks like the seal means that the authorities have sanctioned the export of the item. This could possibly mean it has no historical significance and is crap. The decor is quite crude and reminds me of 20th C. However the colour of the bare porcelain makes me think a fair bit earlier. Bit of a contradiction.

 

Seal came in use about 1997 and likely mid-1920s to 1950s according to this.

https://gotheborg.com/marks/jiandingtest.shtml

Debora

 

Thanks Deb

 

In my view, for what it's worth, I wouldn't automatically dismiss all sealed items as rubbish, especially items that were sealed in earlier years, when Chinese porcelain was more plentiful. A couple of years ago, I purchased a job lot of items, amongst which was a mark and period Tongzhi ink paste pot, which also bore a Chinese customs seal - see pic. Coincidentally, the lidded pot on the left is a similar, but perhaps more slightly more refined version of your own.

 

Thanks for sharing. It looks like mine are a crude repro of the ones you have. Still, they have their own charm..