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For a while I have been looking for a Cultural Revolution (1966-1976) item. You can find quite a lot of them on Ebay and even in auctions. They are usually printed, seldom painted, in rather garish colors and show Mao or patriotic motifs. They could be collected as curiosities but most have no artistic merit in my eyes. Here are a few examples:
A higher quality vase from a Rob Michiels auction. Note the black border that is often mistaken for Republic but can also appear on a 1970s item.
The production of export porcelain went on during this time, though on a rather small scale, as it had been since 1912. Only from the 1980s China started flooding the world again with copies and new items. A typical 1970s product that you possibly all know is the Mother-and-Child ginger jar. These were produced during the 1960s and 1970s and are in my personal opinion one of the low points of Chinese porcelain history. Well, someone out there might still like them.
Then I happened to find this eggshell vase with a girl on her way back from field work, carrying a flower. It's a small vase, only 14 cm high. The seller says the vase was received as a gift from China around 1974. Maybe because it's a tourist vase it's different from the ususal Cultural Revolution stuff. It's quite lovely in my eyes and it seems still hand painted when enlarged with a 10x loupe. Also it's the only piece of porcelain I own that shows a girl. Tommy Eklöf estimates that even in the 20th century only about 15% of the children depicted are girls. (Compared to 5% in the 17th century and less than 10% in the 18th-19th century.) I had never thought there was any demand for these modern items, but there were two other bidders on Ebay, although it was offered only nationwide.
Birgit
The revolution pieces have a charm of their own. They’re also very interesting from a historical perspective.
I think the vase depicting the girl carrying hay is fabulous. I can certainly see its desirability increasing over the coming years.
Thank you for sharing!
Nic
Thanks Shinigami , it never occurred to me that most children you see on porcelain are boys , but obvious when you think about it - all those leaping carp and symbols of success are all about boys too !
I think at least some of the mandarin style export wares of the C18th have girls featured , but not sure how many.
I would be very careful about CR porcelain and anything from that period - the curio markets here are full of fake Mao badges , and memorabilia because it is a collected period and rare items have become valuable - so this means printed porcelain with Mao and CR scenes have become reproduced, and you cannot assume that anything , even printed wares, is genuine 1960s or 70s.
Last weekend I saw some vases with printed photos of SunYat sen and Mao Zedong on , which I'm sure are brand new and there are lots of new transfer printed pieces which copy CR and revolutionary styles.
The vase with the farming girl could be early 1970s , but as you know these eggshell vases were produced through the 1980s and 90s , and maybe even today , and this decoration (although not current) is very nostalgic for many Chinese people.
tam
Hi Tam,
you’re right, there are a lot of modern replicas of CR porcelain, AliExpress for example is fully of them. But rather of the curio sort with printed designs.
As to the little girl vase, I tend to believe the seller who was not an antique dealer but someone who had inherited some things. This was the only porcelain item they had.
I used to think there were children on Qianlong mandarin items, but recently I read that it were attendants, painted a little smaller than their masters. This is an interesting theory but quite possible. I’m just reading „The Dream of the Red Chamber“, a classic from Qianlong time, and people have very close relations to their servants while children are always with their nannies and rarely seen.
When children are depicted on porcelain they are usually playing and they are only boys.
Birgit
So interesting that you brought this up as last week, when I was looking at pictures of children (to do with another thread on here) it struck me that girls are hardly ever seen. Do they appear at all in Tommy Ekloff's book? I guess he must have found some to do the calculation, but I didn't notice any in the relevant threads on Gotheborg.
Julia
I just flipped through the book and the only girl he shows is from 1913. But of course he must have seen thousands of faces. Anyone out there with another little girl on porcelain?
Birgit
Not that I have noticed, but as I said, it only recently struck me that you don't really see girls. I will have to have a good look.
As for your vase, I think it is lovely.
I am very impressed and think they look cool, and slightly better than most collectibles as they have a historical importance and significance.
Here is an article which serves as a reminder that it is very hard to build a nest egg from collectibles.
Dear Short,
Hope you don't mind me call you Short for Short. Yes I think a great many people are going to have their fingers burnt a little. Especially those that brought all those items that were made as collectors items so called limited editions, or with limited firing days. It was only a short time ago that every paper, magazine you picked up was full of ad's for that sort of thing. Franklin Mint comes to mind EBay Australia is sometimes overflowing with that stuff.
Cheers
Michael
Thanks for the link, a very interesting article.
Birgit
Just browsing the local auction's catalogue and came across this. Is it a girl?
Dear Short,
Hope you don't mind me call you Short for Short. Yes I think a great many people are going to have their fingers burnt a little. Especially those that brought all those items that were made as collectors items so called limited editions, or with limited firing days. It was only a short time ago that every paper, magazine you picked up was full of ad's for that sort of thing. Franklin Mint comes to mind EBay Australia is sometimes overflowing with that stuff.
Cheers
Michael
Short is just fine 🙂
Yes, There were some silver linings to the article, even the redundant Coca Cola collections still have some high value items. The most interesting correlation the Author makes is his opinion that Ebay and the internet were the fatal wound that inflicted the downfall of all these little niche markets.
I think with Porcelain it is slightly different, so many items get posted around the world, and the breakage rate is huge. So while ebay opens the market up, it also is quickly reducing the stock of porcelain everyday with high amounts of breakages.
One day, a Pristine perfect condition and high quality antique Chinese Vase will be too high for the mainstream. However not unlike Rolex where most people could not afford their product, rolex introduction of the Rolco and other low end watches proved just this scenario with massive sales in the low end Rolex while the real Rolex sales were very low.
Inevitably i believe that if you have a pristine Chinese Vase and an Identical or similar restored version, you can always sell the restored at a profit but at an affordable cost. The volatility of the market will fall to the restored section.As the Mint condition Antiques will price themselves out of the Market.
So absolutely get the mint condition for long term investment but those super cheap damaged porcelain will have a better market in the future.
Regards
Short
Hi Julia,
a great find. If it wasn’t that badly damaged it would be worth buying although I think it’s not old.
Birgit
Hi Julia,
Is that cellotape to hold the cover on or the pot together ?
Michael
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