Official Show Off Your Gaiwan Topic, Gaiwanesques welcome!

[tst]

Moderator edit: Thanks for sharing your gaiwan-s! This topic made me wonder ... we need an "official show off your gaiwan" topic ... so hopefully tst will not mind if I convert this inspirational topic to the official topic???!!!

I will possibly convert this to a "stickied topic" soon.

Chip
Immoderate TeaDrinker who happens to Moderate

Hello all,

I've only been a member of this community for a short while (been lurking for a bit longer). I finally got around to photographing some of my teawares, and I thought I'd share them.

For some reason, I am drawn to gaiwans ... I'm not sure why (although I've recently been bitten by the yixing bug ).

Here are the gaiwans I've accumulated so far. My collection is small, but I'll no doubt continue to add to it.



First up. I acquired this one maybe 8 months ago or so. The previous owner claims it was purchased at an antiques fair, however I do not know the exact age. This is a somewhat common "rice grain" pattern. Not sure about the initials/characters written on it. I'm about as unfamiliar with Chinese characters as anyone could possibly be Anyone have any ideas? The chip in the saucer could have been a disaster (the saucer stuck to the cup from dried tea when I went to lift the cup up ... very easy way to learn a valuable lesson).


















Next up is another very, very common pattern, though I can't remember what it's called at the moment. I know there are very modern gaiwans like this, as well as some a few decades old. Considering the price I bought this one for ($1), I could really care less about whether it's older or newer, though it would be nice to know. This one had the damage when I bought it










Finally, this just arrived today. Previous owner claims she bought this from an antiques dealer, and that he immigrated to the United States from Scotland many years ago, and that he brought this with him when he came. It seems old to me, but I have no idea. It has some slight hairlines and some chips in the saucer. I did manage to find the mark (or one very similar) on the Gotheborg website (http://gotheborg.com/marks/index-china-marks.htm) under "144. Shen De Tang Zhi".











I'm curious for any and all input some of you experts might be willing to give. Are any of these antique? Again, I really don't care either way, as I like them all regardless.

Thanks for looking.

[Poohblah]

Gorgeous gaiwan!! I am truly enamored with them. The second one has the characters 萬壽無疆, wàn shòu wú jiāng, which is a saying that wishes for long life. It is a common set of characters to see on ceramics of that style.

As for the first one, the mark hardly even looks like Chinese... maybe 丝了?? That's just a wild guess. The period after 了 is confusing, too. Maybe somebody else has a better idea.

And the third one does say 慎德堂製, Shèn Dé Táng Zhì, which means "made by the studio of Shen De" (or maybe something else, but I'm pretty sure that's what it means).

To my untrained eye, I think the second looks most like an export or cheap product for tourists, while I find the third to look the most beautiful and authentic. I have no clue as to the provenance of any of these, however. There are many experts on this board, perhaps one will chime in!

edit: fixed pinyin

[the_economist]

The rice grain reads 'wan yu' (literally 'playing jade'). The third is quite nice.

[Poohblah]

The rice grain reads 'wan yu' (literally 'playing jade'). The third is quite nice.

玩玉? I have such a difficult time reading calligraphy...

[Chip]

Thanks for sharing your gaiwan-s! This topic made me wonder ... we need an "official show off your gaiwan" topic ... so hopefully tst will not mind if I convert this inspirational topic to the official topic???!!!

[Leo_Blue]

Beautiful gaiwans! These make me want to go out and buy more gaiwans. I already own three myself, though nothing as pretty as yours.

[paul haigh]

Just gorgeous! I love the damage, the crazing, the hand made brush strokes- there's a story to imagine there.

[tst]

Thanks for sharing your gaiwan-s! This topic made me wonder ... we need an "official show off your gaiwan" topic ... so hopefully tst will not mind if I convert this inspirational topic to the official topic???!!!

Chip, no problem at all. It makes sense to have one single thread for gaiwans!

[tst]

Thanks everyone for the help! I really appreciate it. It's nice to know what the characters mean and to have somewhat of a better idea about these pieces.

Just to add, the first gaiwan (rice grain pattern) is very, very thin. My step-mother has collected antiques (mostly non-asian) for many years, and commented on the quality and thinness of the piece. I don't know how old it is, but it is of nice quality.

The third one is very nice (my wife commented that it is her favorite almost as soon as I opened it), however it is a little more thick than the first one.

Thanks again everyone!

[iannon]

I really like that last one too. Gorgeous. that one caught my attention the most at least.

[Alex]

Great topic. Love to see some more gaiwans. When I drunk oolong gaiwans were my passion!

[tst]

Recently stumbled upon this gaiwan in an antique mall. It's listed as "19th century", though I'm not sure I believe that. The lid is much thinner than the body, and the marks are different. Decided not to pull the trigger yet (wanted to learn a little more here first).

Can anyone translate/identify the chops for me? Does anyone know what to make of the fact that they are not the same chops? Any ideas of possible value? Also, please forgive the fact that these chops are most likely not in the appropriate orientation.

Thanks everyone, I appreciate any contribution.

[TomVerlain]

while the rubber stamp does not rule it out of being late 19th c, the quality does. Ignore the stamps and base your decision on the craftmans hip of the piece. The painting looks terrible.

[tst]

Thanks for your input Tom.

I'm not too fond of the painting/colors of the gaiwan myself.

[jayinhk]

New scores on the streets of HK: