- Nov 29, 2008
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I am a fan of some of real the beauties made in the Orient. A dear friend of mine helped me gather up some furniture years ago and I have a few knick knacks I kept with my mom. Since the early seventies when my children's great grandmother got me started into antique swapping (mom doesn't move around as much and the pieces were generally safe at her place). The picking up small treasures paid the bills back then when the children were lil' by buying and selling.
My most recent quest has been trying to verify a Tang dynasty bowl. I have had it for years. When I first tried to verify what it was all I found was that blue and white wasn't made in China until the Song dynasty. I was sure they had to be wrong but couldn't verify that until the shipwreck off Belitung Island in the Java Sea was discovered in 1998 and the three bowls of blue and white porcelain was put online for all to see.
This piece I am pretty sure was originally purchased in the Philippines in the 40's by an avid collector who was a honcho in the military station in Asia. I got it from his son's estate after his son died.
As I researched I tried to find all the information I could that could give me hints on the origin of the bowl. From what I could find it appears the bowl may have been a wedding gift or a gift to an ambassador. It has some writing and the detail pattern on it but I am have a hard time with finding letters that match it because it is a cursive script. I was reading that some of the artist back then were middle eastern so even though it is Chinese writing it may have a middle eastern flare to it also. For me I don't even know which way to turn it all to know which is up, down or sideways even so I am hoping someone can help me out with that. Anyhow, here are pictures and if you can read it or give me some hints to find someone who can I'd sure appreciate it.
Oxford was doing testing on composition of these ancient porcelains but apparently from what I have read that can damage a piece too much.
They have a picture of one of the bowls from the shipwreck here. It doesn't have any writing on it just flowers.
Secrets of the Sea: A Tang Shipwreck and Early Trade in Asia
My most recent quest has been trying to verify a Tang dynasty bowl. I have had it for years. When I first tried to verify what it was all I found was that blue and white wasn't made in China until the Song dynasty. I was sure they had to be wrong but couldn't verify that until the shipwreck off Belitung Island in the Java Sea was discovered in 1998 and the three bowls of blue and white porcelain was put online for all to see.
This piece I am pretty sure was originally purchased in the Philippines in the 40's by an avid collector who was a honcho in the military station in Asia. I got it from his son's estate after his son died.
As I researched I tried to find all the information I could that could give me hints on the origin of the bowl. From what I could find it appears the bowl may have been a wedding gift or a gift to an ambassador. It has some writing and the detail pattern on it but I am have a hard time with finding letters that match it because it is a cursive script. I was reading that some of the artist back then were middle eastern so even though it is Chinese writing it may have a middle eastern flare to it also. For me I don't even know which way to turn it all to know which is up, down or sideways even so I am hoping someone can help me out with that. Anyhow, here are pictures and if you can read it or give me some hints to find someone who can I'd sure appreciate it.
Oxford was doing testing on composition of these ancient porcelains but apparently from what I have read that can damage a piece too much.
They have a picture of one of the bowls from the shipwreck here. It doesn't have any writing on it just flowers.
Secrets of the Sea: A Tang Shipwreck and Early Trade in Asia
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