3 replies to this topic

[brasslover]

I recently purchased a bronze vase (scholar pot?) from an antique show that I believe to be from the ming dynasty. Would anyone be able to assist in translating it? Any information would help!

[JohnD]

The first picture says (reading right to left, top to bottom) Da Ming Xuande Nian Zhi, which means it was made during Emperor Xuande's reign. Nian means year and zhi, if I'm not mistaken, means "make".

The second picture starting from the right, top to bottom, means the head (tip) of a pen (or I guess brush in this case) doesn't stop, and the middle line is apparently a phrase referring to scholars who keep writing. Someone else I'm sure can give you a better idea and correct whatever mistakes I've made. My wife thought the whole section might be a stamp placed on it after it was made. The two characters on the right side of the square seal in the second picture means Weiyang, a city or district name. The top character on the left is Wang (King) and my wife couldn't read the last one.

I didn't ask about the third picture. Hope this helps.

I'm just speculating here, but it might be a case intended to hold documents of some kind. Anyone know?

Here is some basic info on the Xuande emperor: http://en.wikipedia..../Xuande_Emperor

Edited by JohnD, 20 September 2009 - 07:11 PM.

[weip]

Although this is an old query, for the fake of correctness it should be said that this is a fake mark.
The third character in the first picture (middle, bottom) is written as it would today in common Chinese. But, actually, since the Ming dynasty this character has always been written without the horizontal stroke (in the middle of the character).
Any antiques having the stroke are fakes, this is valid for other antique items too.
Even censers made nowadays often use the Ming Xuande mark, and many go without that stroke.

[georgem]

This one looks real every way to me, although I don't have any professional skill in connoisseurship. The character Ming 明 has been like that for at least 2,000 years, the only valid variation is to add one more stroke to the left, so it changes from 日 to 目, and mostly for aesthetic purposes by Chinese calligraphers.