Marked Antique Chinese Shiwan Pot

Any help with the mark?
If you google "Shiwan pottery pot" you can find many examples. The common is the hexagon shape, the panels with different images, uneven glaze line finishing shortly before the bottom, rough clay and few other features. They could be with glazed or unglazed necks, different sizes and bases, different shades of green etc. Hardly if ever I've seen them marked.
If not wrong they were originally used and burial urns and later turned into ginger or other jars.
No idea how to date similar ware. I think they usually appear older than they really are.

 

Hi,
They can fool you. I found one and was real excited. Took it to an expert and she laughed and said it was made last year. I still find them strangely beautiful.
greg

 

I own another smaller one for some time. It is more like a green glaze, similar structure but it has its differences. When I was doing my research I found a lot similar ones online. All of them described as antique. But there were too many so I've always been suspicious. Since then I've seen few other ones at the local stores, selling for cheap, but I've always walked on them.
However, I find this one a bit different and hopefully more aged.

I am curious about the one that you have. Any chance we can see a pic? Till now I did not know there were recent similar jars that were made to look old. Shiwan ware has been around for ages so I do believe there are real antique ones out there.
By the way, what kind of expert took a look at yours?

 

Up here where I am there are lots these or similar jars and bottles - people used to dig them up in the old Chinese settlement area of Cumberland BC. I think most folks have at least one piece in their yard or home, so there are lots of the old ones around. I imagine new ones are made today and artificially aged. Here are a couple of links for you - maybe contact the site owner to see if he could help with yours.
http://www.chinesecol.com/gjars.html
http://www.chinesecol.com/treasure.html

 

Hi,
Mine was "lost" in one of my moves. My expert was a friend who worked at the Met in NYC. Mine was more green. I love the teal color of yours.
greg

 

Too bad you lost it. Seems like most of these are from late 19th and early 20th c and brought by the Chinese immigrants. So far they seem to be not as collectible as other Chinese ceramics so I kind of doubt that someone would fake them. Why would you fake something that is not valuable anyway?

 

I'm not sure it's a fake so much as it was a form that never really went out of style because it was useful. I was told these were tea jars but don't remember by who or when. I had a brand new one at one time but have no idea what I did with it.
Don

 

Hi,
You can still buy smaller ones in Chinese markets they contain dried ginger root. Bigger ones are sold at the Pearl River Market which is a large Chinese department store in Chinatown NY. I loved going there there was so much to see and buy. I used to buy all my chopsticks there. Some lacquer ones were more expensive but they had all kinds of inlay. My favorite were red lacquer with MOP and green enamel. They were 2 bucks each but well worth it. So smooth and sturdy. They sold bars of good old fashioned lye soap with pretty wrappers great for getting out stains on naphkins and clothes.
greg

 

Greg, you would have loved my grandmother. She used to make the loveliest soap!

 

I always made sure I got to Chinatown anytime I was in NYC. I used to buy silk purses and costume jewelry to resell. They had some really neat flea market/antique sales too that set up on the weekends in parking garages and vacant lots. Of course, that was back in the days when you could carry an extra bag on the plane without paying a bundle!

 

Hi,
The flea market on Canal street parking lot was the best ever and ever. I bought so many really wonderful items there. My favorite piece was a framed Geo Washington letter. The seller said it was not real sold it to me for 10 dollars said it was a print. Turned out it was real and at auction it brought 7K. I bought 8 Roseville vases from a old Asian man for 25 dollars he wanted 5 dollars each but if I took all 8 it would be 25. One had a hairline crack the others were fine. Even small stuff. So many sets of flatware for 10-15 dollars for service for 8 and 12 including wooden chest. I bought a set of 12 silverplate in Kings pattern for 6 dollars turns out the spoons were sterling. Then it closed down and moved to 26th street in Manhattan. It took off and they started to charge a 1 dollar admission and then it went to 5 dollars. God I miss those days.
greg