"Antiques Porcelain Marks" and Markings of China

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Chinese Antiques Porcelain Marks

Chinese antiques porcelain marks are significantly different from those on European antique ceramics. Porcelain marks or pottery marks on Chinese antiques had mostly a different purpose and way of expression than those made in the west since at least the 17th or 18th century.

Marks on antique porcelain - Differences between East and West

Chinese antiques porcelain marks should be one of the last things looked at when trying to identify the age or authenticity of Chinese ceramics. Too often they do not indicate the actual period of manufacture and can only be a part of the overall evaluation.
Only a novice will try to find information on a Chinese porcelain item based on the mark.

Novice collectors and those not acquainted with Chinese porcelain often think they can verify the age or manufacturing location of Chinese porcelain items using the mark alone, as this would be possible with western ceramics. NO! it is not possible. Read on below why...

Antique porcelain marks as used in Europe are basically a "logo", showing the buyer or user who made it. Because many manufacturers changed their marks over time, it is often possible from these marks to deduct the age once the manufacturer is known. Not so with Chinese marks.

If you find a manufacturing mark on Chinese ceramics, styled similarly as the western marks, you can be sure that this item is modern or vintage at the most. The habit of showing the manufacturer in marks did not start before approximately the second quarter of the 20th century.

TO EMPHASIZE THIS AGAIN, IT IS NOT POSSIBLE TO IDENTIFY THE AGE AND LOCATION OF MANUFACTURE BY THE MARK ALONE WHEN IT COMES TO ANTIQUE CHINESE PORCELAIN!

If you are looking for information on Chinese porcelain you purchased, do yourself a favor and read this page first, before posting to internet forums trying to find out if it is antique or valuable, you could save yourself a lot of time.

The issue of Chinese marks can be summarized as follows:

Most export porcelain was never marked at all. Actually, most of the porcelain for the domestic market also was never marked.
Before the middle of the 19th century almost all marks were hand-painted. This means there will be some irregular features as most handmade things have.
From around middle of the 19th century red stamps were often used.
From the beginning of the 1890s the word "CHINA", in English, in red and applied in red with a rubber stamp would have been present on many export items.
From about 1919 "Made in China" would have been applied on many export porcelains.
A very clean, regular mark looking like those used in western countries, is a sign that an item probably was produced much later in the 20th century, and is unlikely antique. However, this does not mean that china antiques porcelain marks that were hand-painted are all antique. Later copies and fakes also do have hand-painted marks. Even contemporary items may have hand-painted marks.

If you think it is easy to pinpoint the location where specific ceramics were manufactured in China, think again. The number of ancient kilns is staggering, and so is the number of marks. And before all, the name of the kiln is never mentioned in the marks.
See this page for an overview over the number of ancient kilns known.

Despite all this, collecting Chinese porcelain is fascinating and you are encouraged to study Chinese ceramics deeper. It can be very rewarding.

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