Antique Chinese Qing Dynasty Rose Medallion Plates For Sale

Antique Chinese Rose Medallion Plates For Sale.  
Late Qing  Dynasty to Early Republic Period, circa 1890-1920. 
7.5", very good condition.   $60 usd /obo + shipping & insurance

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Antique Qing Dynasty Chinese Porcelain Rose Medallion Saucers

 Antique Qing Dynasty Chinese Porcelain Rose Medallion Saucers Tongzhi - Guangxu period

1 round, 1 six-sided. No chips or cracks. Good used condition. Some light fading. Minor pits 1850s-1890s ,approx 5.5" dia $70 usd /obo + shipping & insurance.

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Antique Qing Dynasty Chinese Porcelain Daoguang - Tongzhi Period Saucers

Antique Daoguang -Tongzhi period Qing dynasty 1800s- 1875 Chinese porcelain saucers. Fair condition. No chips or cracks. Fading paint, pitting.   Endless knot mark.

 SOLD

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Jiāqìng Period Qing Dynasty Chinese Porcelain Famille Verte Plate Da Qing Jiaqing Nian Zhi 大清嘉庆年制

I'm thrilled with today's Asian treasure finds, among them, this authentic, original Qing Dynasty Jiāqìng period Famille Verte charger plate, circa 1796 - 1820, with a butterflies and gourds motif.  It is marked with the traditional zhuanshu seal of the period, 大清嘉庆年制 , Dà qīng jiāqìng nián zhì, and is in near mint condition.  The back has 4 red bats.

 

The motif of butterflies and gourds are a favorite design on Chinese enamelled wares.

 Butterfly ( dié 蝶 ) and gourds ( guā 瓜 ) represent the wish for many sons and grandsons (Guā dié miánmián 瓜瓞 绵绵 ). The thousands of seeds found in gourds symbolize the wish for ceaseless generations of descendants. According to Teresa Tse Bartholomew in Hidden Meanings in Chinese Art, San Francisco, 2006, p. 62, the term 'guadie mianmian' comes from the Book of Odes which is one of the earliest collections of Chinese poetry. 

In classical feng shui applications, the bat is considered a symbol of wealth and used as a wealth cure because the same word/pronunciation for Bat is "fu", which also means "Prosperity" in Chinese. Bat also came to represent happiness and longevity, so it is an auspicious symbol in Chinese culture.

The bat (fu 蝠) is a representation of "good fortune" or happiness (fu 福) because both characters are pronounced fu.  Often the bat is shown flying upside down because the character (dao 倒) for "upside-down" and the character (dao 到) meaning "to have arrived" are both pronounced dao.  Therefore, if a person were to say "the bat is flying upside down" a listener could just as easily hear this as "happiness has arrived" which, of course, has a very auspicious connotation. 

   Also, "a bat descending from the sky" (fuzi tianlai 蝠子天来) sounds exactly like "happiness descends from heaven" (fuzi tianlai 福子天来). Two bats facing each other mean double good fortune or happiness.

In the Mandarin Language, a bat is called Biānfú ,  蝙蝠 which is homophonous with Biàn fú, 變福 which means “becoming prosperous” or “turning into blessings”.

Antique Chinese Carved Stone Buddha Head Statue, Or Not?

Not only do I collect Buddhist statues, figurines and other Buddhist relics, etc, but I also happen to also be Buddhist, although I do also follow the philosophies of Confucianism and Taoism as well, however, for the most part, I consider myself a secular Buddhist, although I do regularly chant many mantra while meditating, such as om mani padme hum, and nam myoho renge kyo, etc..   I have only been on this path actively and seriously for the last 16 months now, however, did previously consider and question Buddhism, so I am still learning more and more each day and haven't yet decided on any specific tradition, sect, etc although I am leaning more towards those of Mahayana traditions even though Esoteric and other schools are appealing.  I find various aspects of many forms of Buddhism fascinating, therefore, have not been able to settle for just one single form.  I initially began exploring Soto Zen, but shortly thereafter progressed to Mahayana.


.   For the past year now I have been wanting a carved stone Buddha head, but could not find any locally.    Certainly there's an abundance of them available online, yet they tend to be pricey, and often I get the feeling that the seller or dealer is making very deceptive claims in order to inflate their selling price.   I for some reason chose not to buy one online, something I rarely do anyway, because I would much rather see the item in person when making a purchase.

So, yesterday afternoon I went out on a treasure hunt and visited some antique shops to see what I could find, and among the few items I purchased was this carved stone Buddha head statue, however, can I assume it's an antique just because it came from an antiques store?  Afterall, the dealer had no freaking clue, as usual, how old it was, nor anything else specific about it, other than "it's Chinese"... and considering the fact that he had about a half dozen of them, all of them very similar to each other,  perhaps maybe they're not really that old.   I honestly don't know.

The carved stone Buddha head stature is 5 1/2" high and weighs a few pounds.  I don't know the exact weight since I do not have a scale, but it feels like at least a few pounds, maybe up to 5;bs, but that's just a guess.








  So, wanting to know the going price for these carved stone Buddha head statues and trying to figure out how old my carved stone Buddha head might be, I began looking around, because I'm very curious by nature, I love learning, and need to know as much as I can about each and every piece in my collection.


I was shocked to see one very similar to mine on eBay with a buy it now of $799, and it's nearly identical to the one I have.   The seller says it is made of Chinese Schist stone, a mixture of quartz and gray stone.  Whether he is correct or not, I have no idea, but I'm curious to know whether or not mine is also Schist stone, and if not, what kind of stone is it?.    On this particular listing for the carved stone Buddha head, the seller claims it is 18th century Qing dynasty and claims it is from 1750s to early 1800s.. and then he claims it is an "uncommon piece",  yet, if uncommon, why did I find at least 6 nearly identical ones in a single store, and then there's another nearly identical one from in eBayer located in China, claiming it to be "old" and selling for $129, and then there's a US based eBayer who has sold multiple carved stone Buddha heads, and has a currently active listing for another one at $39.49 with free shipping, and it's listed as being "new".

  So, the question is, is my carved stone Buddha head an antique or not?  Come to think of it, is it actually carved, or is it possible to be cast from mold using some form of liquid stone mix that hardens much like how concrete works?  How exactly does one even determine the age and or period of carved stone anyway?  I have no idea, nor do I particularly care, well I do, sort of, but the most important thing for me was to have a stone Buddha head, regardless of how old it is, and that's what matters to me....  but I'd still like to know if it's an antique or not, because if it is, I'd possibly consider buying the other 5 for resale considering the prices some of them are listed for, or even to use as trading for other antiques, etc... but more important than that is to document its age and value etc for my future estate since everything I own will be left to my daughter.

Here's the carved stone Buddha heads on eBay that I refer to in this post:

Hunting for Asian Art & Antique Treasures Is Only Half The Fun

Today I went out on an Asian art and antiques treasure hunt as I customarily do once every few weeks and I am very pleased with today's finds. Matter of fact, I am extremely happy..

Today's Asian Art and Antiques Finds.

  It's not every day when you get to find a special piece that brightens up your day, but whenever I do find something to add to my collection, it makes me very happy.  

Hunting for Asian art and antiques  is only half the fun.  Browsing around the shelves of thrift stores, rummage sales, yard sales, and yes, even antiques stores, can often be disappointing when you don't find anything you like, or even worse, do find something you like and want, but is way out of your budget, but when you do find something, your eyes widen, your jaw drops and you excitedly pick something up that brings a big smile to your face.  I love it, but like I said, it's only half the fun.

I'm always so excited with my new found treasures and eagerly begin researching each piece, such as maker, age, period, and yes, even its estimate market value, although I have no intentions whatsoever of selling my collection, however, my daughter may wish to do so later on down the road when I'm dead, so I make sure I record everything, just in case.

Researching is exciting and offers an overwhelmingly satisfying learning experience of so many different things, like different cultures, history, production processes, about various artists and makers and so much more, and yes, even with languages too. 

  Collecting is about what you like... what you enjoy..  The pieces that put a smile on your face, the little finds that excite you and make you happy.   You do it because it's fun and you value the rewarding experiences that come with it, and the educational experiences acquired through researching your finds.  Sure it's also naturally rewarding to find a valuable piece too, but monetary value shouldn't be the primary motive in my opinion.. The hunt is only half the fun.

  Some people collect only very old pieces, others like to collect more modern pieces only a few decades old.. but no matter what your tastes and preferences, art is art and should all be appreciated.   There is nothing more distasteful than another so called collector with a negative attitude who makes hasrh remarks against other collectors because said collector's pieces are "worthless", or "crap" in her pseudo-expert, self righteous opinion.  (Yes, I'm talking about you Jennifer Hansen.  You're a scumbag full of BS and everyone knows it!)

  Just because some self proclaimed "serious collector" with a bad attitude says your piece is crap, does not mean it's crap.  To you it is treasure..  your latest find, that brings a smile to your face... that made you happy and filled you with joy and eagerness to find out more about it.   As the old adage goes, "One man's trash is another man's treasure".

Happy hunting and have fun doing what you love.

Late Qing Guangxu Period Chinese Porcelain Bowl 大清光緒年制

I found this decrepit old Chinese porcelain bowl in a thrift shop a while back.  I nearly hesitated in purchasing it because of its overwhelmingly poor condition, thinking perhaps it could be an artificially aged fake, or even a poor quality modern reproduction, but according to Peter Combs, owner of PL Combs Antiques in Gloucester, Massachusetts, it's late Qing Guangxu period, possibly very early republic. Estimate late 1880s to early 1900s.

The red seal marking is smudged, but it appears it was the Dà Qīng Guāngxù Nián Zhì 大清光緒年制 red seal mark It feels rough as if it was stamped over the glaze.

pp3 est?

Late 19th Century Qing Dynasty Qianjiang Porcelain Teacup Painted by Yu Huan Wen 余煥文

This is the first antique Chinese porcelain piece I ever purchased, and it's the piece that got me started on collecting Chinese porcelain and ceramics.  Ever since finding this teacup and stand in a local second hand shop, I have been on the hunt for similar finds and other interesting Asian antiques.

The teacup and stand is late 19th century Qing Dynasty, Guāngxù period, painted by artist Yu Huanwen 余 煥文.  , or would that be Yuhuan Wen? Yu Huan Wen?

The base is marked 芹香山馆 Qín Xiāng Shān Guǎn, ie "Qin Xiangshan Hall"

The calligraphy reads 美人如玉仿?法煥文氏余煥文 which includes the artist's signature and seal.  The Beauty like Jade, to learn from another's methods, Huanwen, Made by Yu Huanwen  ??

Calligraphy translation provided by Hung-Yueh Hsu, Taipei, Taiwan