Porcelain age signs give us an opportunity to determine whether a ceramic item is really antique or recently made. Age characteristics can be fake, but the average age faking can be detected by knowledgable collectors or dealers.
If a piece of China shows no visible age signs at all, we consider it as recently made. On the other hand, if there are too many age signs present it is necessary to carefully check in detail to make sure the item is not a fake.
But, you need to be aware that the age signs of ceramics are different from those of other antiques. You cannot come and decide age because an item looks old or gives the feeling of age.
See also
Faking the Age of Porcelain
Easily recognizable porcelain age characteristics
Discoloration and Glaze Deterioriation:
Glaze and decoration do not get discolored under normal circumstances
with porcelain, even over extended periods of time. An exception are
items that have been in the soil or sea for long periods of time.
Ming bowl with its ![]() |
With shipwreck porcelain that has been in the water for
less than 200 years, many items are still in superb condition
now and may show little discoloration. |
Crackles:
Crackles may be another exception... The crackle lines can turn yellowish brown with age.
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But careful, crackles can be and are created artificially since ancient times, and lend themselves for making an item look old. It is necessary to always check carefully whether the porcelain age signs are genuine or made to deceive unsuspecting buyers.
In fact the Ge wares of the Song dynasty (960-1279) were made exclusively with crackles as decoration. Such wares were made throughout the history of Chinese porcelain.
Shown below is the crackled surface of a Ming dynasty jar.
These are not artificially induced crackles.
Rust spots:
Iron residue contained in the clay moves slowly to the surface of the
ceramic body over a long period of time, forming small rust spots. On
rare occasions these may be larger, but mostly they appear as tiny
spots.
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Rust spots may look black to the eye if small, but are light brown if larger. |
Glaze contractions:
Glaze contractions can be a porcelain age sign, but not in the sense of
the porcelain having "aged". Instead, they are rather symptoms of kiln
conditions at the time of manufacture. Glaze contractions are found in
early porcelain, as for example in Ming dynasty porcelain, but also in
items made as late as the early 20th century.
They can be considered as "indirect" porcelain age signs, an
indication of the production environment at the time the porcelain was
manufactured.
However, it might be preferable to think of them as a sign of the
manufacturing period or era, when kiln conditions were such that glaze
contractions developed on porcelain. |
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Glaze contractions are small spots where a hole or recess appears on the surface of Chinese porcelain. They have a relatively simple explanation.
One of the main causes is some oily or fatty substance sticking to the
clay surface before the glaze was applied. The glaze covers that
substance but not the body itself. |
![]() Recesses in the glaze |
This leaves a spot without glaze on the body. The melting glaze will flow into that empty spot sometimes; depending on the glaze thickness of the surrounding area the empty spot may not or only partially be filled. This results in a concave spot or miniscule hole in the glaze.
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In some cases the spots are very shallow and only visible if viewed from an angle, depending on the light conditions. Deeper contraction spots may be brown or black because of sediments or residual dirt inside. |
Chinese porcelain exceeding a certain age normally shows some glaze contractions. If there are none at all on the whole body or bottom, better check carefully for rust spots or other age signs. The item may not be that old if nothing at all is found. Always also check also the bottom and inside of vessels. See firing faults.
Wear of on-glaze decoration:
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Presence or absence of certain colors:
The presence or absence of certain colors in the decoration can be indicative of the period of manufacture.
As such these can be used in the same way as other porcelain age signs.
Keep in mind that some colors were not available until later in the Qing
dynasty, or were only used during certain periods, or for certain items. Certain colors were available for decorating porcelain only
after materials or techniques were developed, later on in the Qing
dynasty, which made it possible for the colors to remain visible after
firing in the kiln.
From the end of the Ming dynasty and beginning of
the Qing dynasty (17th century) the kilns were able to control quality
better. By the Qianlong period, in the second half of the 18th century,
quality was at its peak and many defects had virtually disappeared.
However,
after the Qianlong period internal strife and the opium wars, Taiping rebellion, etc. were
cause for a decrease in quality. This would have been mainly due to the
loss of skilled kiln workers who fled to
avoid harm, or who may not have been paid and left.
Glaze Characteristics of Chinese Porcelain
See Porcelain Age Faking Methods
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Glaze Age Signs - Dead Bubbles