Desperately Need Info on this Exquisite Bronze (?) Vase

[whimsiesandwishes]

Hi, 

I was left this vase by my grandfather, many years ago. He was a collector of fine asian art and  he always told me this was a “very good piece”. Any information would be so greatly appreciated as I need it for insurance value.

Thanks so much!

Lorri

[sonomabarn67]

If you need it for an insurance appraisal  you should go to a certified source and pony up the dough. While we are all certified geniuses on this chatboard, It wont hold up in a court of law or the court of the internet.

You could go for a major auction house estimate of worth but you will still need to employ them or someone else for a bona-fide appraisal, We have a genius or two here that can read the mark but many Chinese marks were copied over the years.

My feeble thoughts are that it's Chinese  Ming dynasty and it's worth a bundle. Your results may vary and objects in rear view mirror may be closer than they appear.

[argon38]

You'll have to upload a separate, sharp focus close-up of the mark if anyone is going to get anywhere with it.

[whimsiesandwishes]

Thank you. This is the best I can do. I am not with the piece this week. I enlarged it but it doesn’t look too clear.  

[maxine*j]

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@sonomabarn67 wrote:

If you need it for an insurance appraisal  you should go to a certified source and pony up the dough...

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Exactly right.   No insurance company would accept any valuation made here, even if anyone here were crazy enough to make one based on a couple of photographs and a family story.   The insurance company is going to demand a valuation and appraisal by a certified appraiser.

Still, it would be interesting to be able to see the mark on the bottom.

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[argon38]

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@whimsiesandwishes wrote:

 I enlarged it but it doesn’t look too clear.  

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Enlarging the original doesn't serve the purpose, unfortunately. The issue isn't primarily the size, but the resolution - it's too grainy and blurry for a secure reading (for my eyes, anyway). A single stroke can make the difference between two entirely different Chinese characters. If you can wait the week to upload a clear photo, that'll be better than having us resort to guesswork.

[sonomabarn67]

Adding to that, when the new pics are taken take multiple shots with varying light angles to get the perfect shots and then pick the very best from the lot. It doesn't cost anything to take extra shots and is what professional photographers do.

[gracieallen01]

And, try to get a good shot of the body shape/profile, in particular the bottom - is it straight cylindrical or undercut at the bottom .....

[whimsiesandwishes]

Thank you, all. I wasn’t looking for a value but just more information, like maybe period? Chinese/Japanese/other? In someone’s opinion, I am just looking to see if it might be valuable and worth doing more research. I will begin to do it, just looking for something to go on. I understand about the blurriness of the mark.

[sonomabarn67]

"Any information would be so greatly appreciated as I need it for insurance value."

" I wasn’t looking for a value"

My take away from your words is that you very much want a value which is why you asked for it. I think that even if you go to a museum they would refer you to an outside specialist as museums don't appraise for value unless you are genuinely donating  a high value item to the museum. One of the questions the museum will ask you is "What dollar amount did it come in at on the independent appraisal? Unless you are Prince Charles throwing around million pound duffel bags of cash (like in today's news) you are still going to have to pay for an appraisal. I think your best bet is to submit stunning quality pics to this board and you might find out general info about your vase.