Chinese Porcelain Marks

Still the marks are something of a fingerprint of the potter and its time.
Chinese porcelain marks. Zhang yi probably signifies the name of a company tai. If carefully studied they offer a great help in identifying the date and maker of most chinese porcelain. Almost at the same time that the chinese invented porcelain they also invented marks and copies sometimes to learn sometimes to honor sometimes to deceive sometimes to replace sometimes just to meet a demand. In straits chinese porcelain zhen yi tai is a common mark.
The origin of reign marks. Chinese porcelain reign marks identification making sense of chinese reign marks. The writing of. On a small group of porcelain genuine marks in raised blue enamel can appear.
A number of old businesses in san francisco chinatown have this same tai character as the last one in a three character name for example jiu jong tai fa ming tai guang xing tai etc. Marks of earlier periods have been used throughout almost the history of chinese porcelain. Reign marks were in common usage at the beginning of the ming dynasty 1368 1644 and. Seal marks from the period can also be written in a cartouche or with the seal broken up and on the base of stem cups written in a horizontal row from right to left.
To read a reign mark it is important to understand how they are written.