Qing Flower Dish

Qing Flower Dish. Diameter: 27cm

Typical view of the unglazed base seen on all flower dish

This flower dish was bought from one of the antique shops in Adelaide. Mostly, you can find the same dish which recovered from the Desaru (c. AD. 1830) shipwreck. It is likely, made at the Lianghulian kiln complex, Jingdezhen, China. The decoration includes a central chrysanthemum and four peripheral half chrysanthemums altering with four pairs of devolved conch shells on the center medallion, and six chrysanthemums altering with six devolved conch shells on the cavetto. The chrysanthemum flower is the emblem of Autumn and the symbol of Joviality. This dish are also discussed in the Maritime Archaeology and Shipwreck Ceramics in Malaysia and National Museum exhibition catalogue.

This flower dish are likely more than 170 years old but appear 'new' due to perfect potting technique and high firing temperature.

Opium Weights

Opium weight 1, Height: 6.5cm

Opium weight 2, Height: 5.5cm

Opium weight 3, Height: 5cm

Opium weight 4, Height: 4.5cm

Opium weight 5, Height: 4cm

View from the back of all the opium weights

View from the front of all the opium weights

View of the base of all the opium weights

The opium weights from Burma were used to weigh high value products such as silver ingots which were used as currencies. As from my research, the early European traders reported the use of these weights for measuring foreign gold and silver coins, pearls, rubies, coral, personal ornaments, spices, camphor, musk and costly medicines.

As from my collection, I have a total of five bronze opium weight with bird figures in different sizes. They are from Myawaddy, Burma, and these bird weights has detailed feathers in appealing forms.

Period: 1785-1802, King Singu

Click on the pictures for the bigger versions....

Plates

Plate 1. Diameter: 17.5cm

Plate 1.

Plate 2. Diameter: 17cm

Plate 2.

The following are another two plates from my collection. It is believed that these plates has been used for daily purposes and also for ancestral offerings at the altar. While looking at the base of the plates, you can find two types of antique markings. One is clearly hand-written (painted) in archaic characters as used in seals and the other one is at the outer part of the center medallion (7 o'clock) which were made by drilling many small holes to form a single character or symbol. This is not a porcelain mark. It is just served to recognize the ownership of the concerned item on occasions when communal use of plates was required. Click on the pictures for a bigger version....

First Pic....

Picture 1
This is a bowl bought and originally from Malacca.
Diameter: 13cm

Picture 2
View of the base

This bowl featuring designs of formalized scrolls and floral motifs. This were for every day use by Peranakans or Baba and Nyonya and could also be used for ancestral offerings at the altar.

Click on the picture for a bigger version. :)

Definition

Well, if you would like to start this hobby, you must know some of the terms and explanations of some related antique collecting hobby. First of all, what do you know bout the word "ANTIQUE"?

Establishing a collection of any kinds of antique requires also acquiring a lot of peripheral knowledge and the ability to recognize fakes. This is especially true with porcelain. There seems to be always much more to learn when it comes to shop for antique Chinese porcelains.

As for my personal knowledge, any object which has reached to the age of 100 year can be considered an antique. But base on some definition which I've surfed through internet and some other sources, an antique must show the age signs to be called such. Lets talk about Chinese porcelain for instant. It must originate either in the early republic Qing or Ming dynasties, or earlier. The question is, what is considered "early republic" period? Usually, antique collectors consider anything made after the Qing dynasty (1644-1911) during the 1910s or 20s as early republic, thus for us it ends 1930. Anything produced later than that is qualified as a "vintage"......

When shopping for antiquities, you will always come in contact with the thorny issue of provenance. This much beloved practice of mentioning provenance in antique dealer circles is of little real value, except in rare cases.

Provenance information relates to second-hand knowledge given by the dealer or seller and does not mean an antique item was properly identified or verified previously. Neither is it a guarantee that antiquities are genuine or that the original owner was capable of identifying all items correctly.

The only thing that can lend weight to an authenticity claim is if the dealer has a reputation as an expert in the field.

Provenance gives a false sense of security when buying antiques in general. Even in estate sales when items may come from high-class antique collections, you cannot be sure that the particular item is authentic.

Antique dealers who have really no intention to deceive customers in the first place may use provenance to show how legitimate an item is. This is more likely if they are not expert at identifying the item. It covers for their inability to judge. Buy from people who know their antiques, but don't rely on their judgement, rely on yours! Even dealers admit to occasionally buying fake antiques by mistake. They will often try to resell it to compensate for their loss.

Only with your own independent knowledge can you positively avoid problems of buying fake stuffs. Study all related points and learn to judge yourself whether a "lovable" item of yours is a true antique. :-)

What I Like To Do........

Basically, I'm a so called "junior" antique collector. Base on my age, people always have doubts and questions about me and my hobby. What is wrong with young people (if you consider me as "still young") to have such a nice and interesting hobby? I'm still wondering....... :p

I have this "appreciating-old-stuffs" behaviour since I was young - Let's say when I was 15. I always wanted to own something old and special as in nobody has it.

For example, I still remember year 1993, my dad went to Beijing with my granny and aunt's family without us (it was too expensive to bring our family for the trip). I was very happy for my dad and at the same time, sad I couldn't follow. I personally went to my dad before they left, asking if he happened to reach the top of the Great Wall of China, so to pick up some stones for me as a remembrance. I still have it with me.....Until today!!! Can it be called antique? Hahahahahaha.....Definitely NO!

Here are the stones...

Three pieces of stone that is very meaningful to me.

Information about the stones written by me, stated the date and time my dad went to the Great Wall of China. :)
"The Great Wall Of China, on Tuesday, 22.06.1993, at 3.30pm".

Intro About Myself

Well, I'm not a good writer. If someone would like to read what I've written, they are just trying to get some "sleeping pills" for free :) At some point, I feel hard to express myself base on writing. It always feel so weird when I've written something, it didn't really tell what I actually wanted to tell. That's why I'm sort of envy lots of writer who can do it as a part of their living. People read and understood what they wanted to tell and also feel for them. As far as I concern, to speak to someone is much easier than putting them into sort of words in writing which is always confusing. Do you really know what I'm trying to tell you now (base on my writing)? It makes me doubt too, bout those people who feels for the writer telling the stories of their lives and other people. Are things that they tell base on writing can really adsorb to reader's mind 100%? I leave it for you to decide.....So,here are some straight forward post about me and my collection which I would like to share out there to those who have the same interest like I do. :)