Dated porcelain comes more often than not in the form of a dedication or verse on the outer circumference or on the lid of a porcelain vessel. The date is usually in the form of a cyclic calendar year, often accompanied with the season or moon (lunar month).
We are not quite sure if this signature/mark was used to any greater extent during the 18th century, but adding a cyclic date clearly became more frequent towards the late 19th century. This coincided with the increased popularity of a porcelain painting style (Jianqiangcai) mimicking Chinese paintings. More and more porcelain painters were affixing their signature or seal to their works. This appears to show that a transition from a mere kiln worker or artisan to a porcelain painting artist was in progress. Increasing numbers of porcelain painters were making a name of their own in this art.
The fluted bowl in the picture above has three characters in the last vertical column on the left. A red seal is affixed below these. The first two characters represent the cyclic date corresponding to 1862 (see 60 year cyclic calendar), and the last means "autumn". As the style of decoration 60 years earlier or later was quite different it is possible to determine 1862 as the relevant year.
However, please be aware that fakes also may use the cyclic date, in this case a false one, to mislead a potential buyer. It cannot be emphasized enough that as with marks it is not possible to solely rely on a cyclic date on signed porcelain. Always take all aspects into account when identifying the age of porcelain.
