Porcelain

Author: Zhang Guilian
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-07-01
Features: This is a series of small booklets specially designed for beginners in the field of collection or those interested in playing with cultural artifacts. Carry a couple of them in your pocket, and you can hunt for antiques in the antique market according to the illustrations. Of course, you can also flip through, read, and set them aside after meals, during tea breaks, by the light, or before bed. The small format, light weight, and carefully selected items are designed to add no burden to your reading or use. Naturally, this series of booklets is not perfect like flawless white jade. If placed on a bookshelf, it is not a shining masterpiece, and you shouldn’t expect it to add more scholarly charm to your study. However, a small desk accessory, easily picked up or discarded, still retains a touch of elegance when the sky is high and the clouds are clear, or when the moon is bright and the wind is gentle. In the 1930s and 1940s, the Commercial Press in Shanghai published a series titled "Myriad Libraries" edited by Mr. Wang Yunwu, a collection of many small booklets. Who among the older generation of readers doesn’t know Wang Yunwu or hasn’t read "Myriad Libraries"? If "Myriad Libraries" is considered a model for popular reading, then in the 21st century, it is still relevant because there are always more people who read thin books than those who read thick ones. Since the 1990s, with the boom in art auction industries, people’s interests seemed to shift abruptly from stocks and futures to antiques. For a time, the antique market became too hot and too chaotic, with new, old, real, and fake items all on display. Not only did young people get confused, but even seasoned antique enthusiasts found it dizzying. In this sense, to get a head start on the same starting line, they must seize the opportunity to acquire a large amount of new knowledge and information resources. As a result, catalogues of collections, auction catalogues, appraisals and appreciations, and academic monographs flooded the scene like flowers in the wind. Those with a little money in their pockets, who want to pick up bargains or buy mid-range antique items, or those who collect or seek rare goods, may, in the near future, see significant improvements in their eyesight and enter the professional ranks. But for now, what they need are intuitive, appropriately tiered, and easy-to-understand popular reading materials—just as mentioned earlier, they can be used for hunting, leisure, and flipping through at night or before bed. The planning, writing, and publishing of this "Practical Guide to Collecting Cultural Artifacts" fundamentally meet the reading needs of these readers. Every line of text in this book is the accumulation of the author’s years of experience in appraisal work, a slightly "watered-down" but still substantial "condensed" work. May readers not discard it lightly because of its size. When you find that a good book is always worth rereading, the grooves in your brain will begin to form images of objects, features, and prices, and your collection will become richer. Then, it’s time for you to read thick books. This book collects porcelain from the Ming to the Qing dynasties, with reference prices, identification points, era styles, craftsmanship, patterns, and material descriptions. How to Use This Book:
1. Object Names The names of the objects listed in this book are based on generally accepted terms. If there are two or more alternative names, the more common one is used.
2. Dynasty The dating of the main illustrations is based on the era characteristics of the objects. For those with possible cross-era attributes, there are generally two methods: 1. Directly labeled; 2. Placed in the next dynasty.
3. Main Object of the Illustration The main illustration is the primary object of textual interpretation. The selection criteria for this image are mainly items that are relatively high in demand in general first-tier antique markets, hence having interpretive commonality. Second, the objects have been strictly selected to minimize doubts about their authenticity. The publishers of this book have used advanced CTP technology to ensure high image clarity.
4. Auxiliary Images of Objects There are two types: 1. Enlargements of specific parts of the main illustration; 2. Images of similar objects.
5. Identification Points The identification points listed around the main illustration are the author’s most direct appraisal experience.
6. Object Knowledge Explanation This includes knowledge related to the object, such as era styles, craftsmanship, patterns, and materials, as well as related knowledge about appreciation.
7. Price Reference The prices mentioned in this book are generally based on market circulation prices as a reference standard and do not represent specific transaction prices. The price reference for fakes is based on the general level of fake production and is not related to high-quality fakes or handicrafts.
The "Practical Guide to Collecting Cultural Artifacts" series consists of 8 volumes: "Porcelain," "Jade," "Buddhist Statues," "Furniture," "Bronze Mirrors," "Ancient Coins," "Inkstones," and "Nasal Inhalers."