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Octagonal Blue and White Porcelian Tea Bowl

Top-down view of a small octagonal porcelain bowl with blue and white hand-painted Chinese figures and floral borders.

Estimated value

$85 - $250

Rarity

Average(4/10)

Category

Asian Art

Era

Late 19th to early 20th Century

Origin

🇨🇳 China

Authenticity

Moderate(55%)
4

OCTAGONAL BLUE AND WHITE PORCELIAN TEA BOWL: ORIGINS & SIGNIFICANCE

An octagonal small bowl or tea cup featuring underglaze blue decoration. The central tondo depicts a 'Long Eliza' (Meiren) figure, a stylized graceful woman amidst foliage, a motif popularized during the Kangxi period for the export market. The rim is decorated with a trellis-pattern border interspersed with floral cartouches. The potting appears thin, and the cobalt blue possesses a vibrant, slightly bleeding quality characteristic of high-fire porcelain.

EASTERN & WESTERN ECHOES

Where This Object Echoes

Dutch Golden Age17th Century

Delftware frequently imitated these Chinese 'Long Eliza' motifs during the 17th century.

Aesthetic Movement1870-1900

Blue and white porcelain became a staple of 'artistic' British households in the late 1800s, championed by Whistler and Wilde.

Ritual & Ceremonial Use

  • •Gongfu Tea Ceremony (likely use for a bowl of this size)
  • •Scholarly appreciation of 'literati' motifs

Meaning Through Time

Kangxi Era

Represented idealized female beauty and auspicious garden settings.

Victorian Era

Symbols of exoticism, luxury, and the 'Chinoiserie' trend in interior design.

EASTERN PROVENANCE

This style of 'Kraak-influenced' or Kangxi-revival porcelain emerged from the Jingdezhen kilns in China, primarily for the European trade. The 'Meiren' (beautiful woman) motif became known in the West as 'Long Eliza' (from the Dutch 'Lange Lijzen'). While the shape and motif hark back to the late ...
This style of 'Kraak-influenced' or Kangxi-revival porcelain emerged from the Jingdezhen kilns in China, primarily for the European trade. The 'Meiren' (beautiful woman) motif became known in the West as 'Long Eliza' (from the Dutch 'Lange Lijzen'). While the shape and motif hark back to the late 17th and early 18th centuries, many such pieces were produced in the late 19th-century 'Guangxu' period or as high-quality mid-20th-century decorative pieces.

EASTERN FOOTNOTES

1

The term 'Long Eliza' used by collectors for these figures actually stems from a Dutch mispronunciation of 'Lange Lijzen', meaning 'tall people'.

2

Octagonal shapes in Chinese ceramics were often more difficult to fire than round ones because the flat planes were prone to warping in the high-heat kilns.

MEDIUM & CRAFT

Surface

Glossy vitrified glaze with underglaze cobalt; the blue shows characteristic 'heaping and piling' effects in the darker strokes.

Weight & Feel

Lightweight and delicate; the thin walls suggest a refined 'eggshell' quality often found in tea wares.

Condition

User reports Mint condition. No visible chips, hairline cracks, or frittering to the rim edges are apparent in the provided view.

HOW SCARCE IS IT?

Average55-70%
CommonLegendary

Typical antique shop fare. Requires some searching but regularly available. This is where most genuine antiques fall.

Typical Characteristics

  • Standard antique shop items
  • Regularly available
  • Moderate collector interest

ASIAN ART SCHOLAR'S TAKE

Cabinet of Curiosities Generalist

Interdisciplinary Investigator

The style and motif are clearly identifiable, but without seeing the base construction and any possible reign marks, it is impossible to distinguish between a 19th-century example and a modern high-quality reproduction.

KEY EVIDENCE

  • 1Octagonal form indicative of specific mold-forming techniques.
  • 2Presence of the 'Long Eliza' (Meiren) figure, a specific export-favored motif.
  • 3Geometric trellis border is consistent with late Qing Dynasty or early Republic export wares.
  • 4Cobalt blue saturation levels suggest high-fire porcelain production.

UNCERTAINTIES

  • •Lack of visibility of the footring and base, which are essential for dating porcelain.
  • •Remarkably 'clean' appearance for an object claiming antique status.

WHAT WOULD IMPROVE CERTAINTY

  • →Provide a high-resolution photo of the underside/base to check for marks and footring soil.
  • →Check for 'fritting' (tiny chips) along the edges of the octagonal corners.
  • →Hold the piece to a bright light to check for translucency.

ASIAN ART VALUATION

$85 - $250

Updated: Mar 9, 2026

  • Market comparables from auctions & retail
  • Condition, completeness & craftsmanship
  • Current collector demand & trends
  • Low = quick sale, high = patient seller

For informational purposes only, not a formal appraisal.

CONTEXT ANALYSIS

How your provided context compares with Curiosa.com scanner findings.

What Aligned

  • User stated 'Mint' condition - visual evidence shows an exceptionally clean interior and crisp rim edges with no obvious damage.

FROM THE CABINET OF

R2

r2d2

Wonderseeker•4 items

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