Skip to main content
curiosa
Add

Famille Rose 'Gu' Form Porcelain Vase

1/2

Select the photograph to look closer. Swipe or choose a view below.

Estimated value

$250 - $650

Rarity

Average(4/10)

Category

Ceramics & Pottery

Era

Early 20th Century (Republic Period)

Origin

China

Visual assessment

Photo-based interpretation · not authenticated

Save to revisit in your watchlist. This does not add the object to your own collection.

52

FAMILLE ROSE 'GU' FORM PORCELAIN VASE: IDENTIFICATION

A porcelain trumpet-shaped vessel, or 'Gu' vase, featuring a flared rim, a central bulbous boss, and an out-turned foot. The exterior is decorated in the Famille Rose palette with a dominant rose-pink ground, featuring stylized lotus blooms, scrolling tendrils, and plantain leaf borders. The interior and base are coated in a pale turquoise-green glaze. A six-character iron-blue seal mark in zhuanshu script is centrally positioned on the base.

Compare with other ceramic pieces in the archive: Chinese Famille Rose 'Dragon' Vase with Islamic Inscriptions, 20th Century, Chinese Wucai-style Famille Verte Porcelain Charger, Porcelain Urn-Shaped Vase with Romantic Landscape Scene and Dark Blue Glaze.

CROSS-CULTURAL PARALLELS

Related cultural context

Bronze Age Chinac. 1600–1046 BCE

The Gu form was originally a ritual bronze vessel used for drinking fermented beverages during ceremonial offerings.

Use & cultural context

  • •Domestic display as a flower holder on a scholar's desk or an ancestral altar
  • •Gifting for longevity and prosperity, symbolized by the evergreen scrolling lotus

Meaning Through Time

Shang Dynasty

Sacred ritual implement for ancestral communication.

Qing Dynasty

Scholarly appreciation for antiquity and refined aesthetic status.

PRODUCTION & FIRING

The 'Gu' shape is a deliberate archaistic revival of ancient Chinese bronze wine vessels from the Shang and Zhou dynasties. This specific decorative program, utilizing a pink ground with symmetrical lotus scrolls, became localized during the Qianlong period (1736-1795) but remained a standard

Read full story

production model for the Jingdezhen kilns throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries to meet both imperial and export demand.

COLLECTOR NOTES

1

The six-character mark on the base reads 'Da Qing Qianlong Nian Zhi', though the execution style suggests a Republic period (1912-1949) production rather than an 18th-century original.

SCARCITY

Average · 4/10 estimated rarity

This is a qualitative collection score, not a measured survival count, market percentile or proof of authenticity.

Visual assessment

Photographs alone cannot establish authenticity. The following analysis notes have not been independently verified; references to a match or confirmation are interpretations, not documentary evidence.

  • The base mark is a 'copy' mark referencing the Qianlong era but likely applied in the 20th century.
  • The precision of the scrollwork suggests 1920s-1940s Jingdezhen workshop standards rather than 18th-century imperial quality.
  • High prevalence of modern 'vintage-style' reproductions for this specific model.
What photo analysis can and cannot establish

ANALYSIS NOTES

AI-assisted notes based on the photographs and supplied context. These are interpretations, not an examination by a human specialist or proof of authenticity.

The identification of the era is based on the specific style of the iron-blue seal mark and the saturation of the enamels which align with Republic period workshop standards documented by Sotheby's and Christie's for similar 'apocryphal' pieces.

OBSERVATIONS & INTERPRETATIONS

  • 1Presence of turquoise 'muffled' glaze on the interior and base.
  • 2Six-character apocryphal Qianlong seal mark in iron-blue enamel.
  • 3Archaistic 'Gu' silhouette with central bulb section.
  • 4Enameled lotus scrolls on a sgraffito-style pink ground.
  • 5Character of the footrim paste shows fine, white Jingdezhen kaolin.

UNCERTAINTIES

  • •Apocryphal mark (mark of a previous era) is standard for this period but dictates value.
  • •Lack of 'pinpricks' or iron spots often seen in older 18th-century porcelain bodies.

WHAT WOULD IMPROVE CERTAINTY

  • →Conduct a tap test to check for hidden hairlines or 'dead' sound indicating repair.
  • →Examine under long-wave UV light for fluorescent resins signifying restoration on the flared rim.
  • →Check for transparency under a high-intensity light source to verify body thickness.
COLLECTOR GLOSSARY (3 terms)
Gu (觚)
A trumpet-shaped vessel with a central boss, originally a Bronze Age ritual wine cup.
Famille Rose
A group of Chinese porcelain decorated with overglaze enamels dominated by pink/rose hues derived from colloidal gold.
Apocryphal Mark
A mark on a piece of pottery that cites an earlier, prestigious reign as a tribute or to signify style, rather than being contemporary to that reign.

Condition & estimated grade

A visual condition estimate. This is not a professional grading certificate.

Very Good

Grading breakdown

The enamel remains vibrant with very little scuffing, and the base mark is sharply defined without typical firing blur found in lower-quality exports.

Condition

The footrim shows moderate shelf wear and minor oxidation consistent with a 75-100 year age. No visible chips or hairlines are present in the provided images, though the gilding on the rim shows slight thinning.

CERAMICS MARKET VALUE

$250 - $650

Estimate recorded: May 11, 2026

Estimate context (not a documented sale): Republic period Famille Rose Gu vases consistently achieve $300-$800 at specialized Asian Art auctions such as Bonhams or Freeman's.

Who buys this

Collectors of Chinese Republic period (1912-1949) porcelain and interior designers looking for 'Grandmillennial' or Chinoiserie accents.

What increases value

  • •Clarity and precision of the hand-painted enamels
  • •Integrity of the flared rim which is highly prone to chipping
  • •Quality of the turquoise interior glaze application

What lowers value

  • •Hidden cracks in the narrow neck which often go unnoticed
  • •Modern 21st-century mass-production mimics this style exactly, reducing market trust without provenance

What makes top-tier examples

  • •Thinner, translucent porcelain body
  • •Finely drawn 'sgraffito' feathering in the pink enamel ground
  • •Imperial-quality calligraphy in the base mark

Grade & condition

Condition of the gilding on the mouth rim and the presence/absence of star-cracks on the base.

Rarity & demand

AverageModerate demandModerate liquidity
Browse similar ceramics objects

For informational purposes only, not a formal appraisal.

FROM THE CABINET OF

KJ

kjk

Wonderseeker•1 item

Questions & contributions

Explore Ceramics & Pottery

Pottery, porcelain, stoneware, earthenware, and kiln-fired objects.

Ceramics & Pottery value and rarity guide

What’s in your collection?

Keep its photographs, maker’s marks and the story you know in one object record. Start with a photo.

Add an object

Start for free. No credit card needed.