how to find a good porcelain appraiser?

16 years ago

So we're at Goodwill tonight, and I found a *perfectly beautiful* handmade porcelain bowl that just gets more amazing as I look at it. It's not immediately my style, but I just *love* it--it's all white, extremely fine wavy edges, with lotus leaves, buds, blossoms, and one seedpod all on bumpy/thorny stems coming up around into the the folds of the edges. All hand made. Not a leaf broken off. Very fine lines. NO mark, though, except maybe something very blurry if you hold it in the light in the right way...but none of us can make it out. I tried googling "lotus bowl" but nothing came up exactly like it--the closest thing was something from a British auction gallery, but it had gilt on it, etc.--this is all white. SUCH detail, and no one lotus adornment is the same. , and it's a 5 point symmetry rather than a 6..

I'm really wondering where this is from--I just wanted it--it has a great vibe, such care taken in the creation of it--I've got it on our Crate & Barrel "parsons" dining table, of all things, and it looks *perfect* on it--the clean lines of the table play off the curves of the bowl, and the frosted glass tabletop looks like water and the bowl on it looks like lotuses peeking up out of the ripples. But I want to know where it came from, if that's possible.

I've never had anything like this appraised before--only some art back on the east coast, and I went to the local university art department for that. But I have no idea whom to contact about this--is there an online appraiser who is dependable/expert? My town seems a bit too small for a really good porcelain appraiser--should I aim for Seattle? Anyone know anyone in Seattle? Where should I start?

Thanks for any ideas.

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Comments (14)

maddielee
16 years ago
You might want to ask and post a picture of it on the Antiques forum here at Gardenweb. Those folks seem to know their stuff.

Here is a link that might be useful: Antiques forum
skypathway
16 years ago
I would ask for suggestions from your local museum. And please post pictures - it sounds gorgeous. I have a frosted glass stainless steel parsons table from Room and Board and I know exactly what you mean about it looking like a serene pool of water. I've had my table for 10 years now and my heart still skips a beat when I walk into my kitchen. What wonderful imagery to think of the lotus bowl as a flower floating in your pond in your DR.

Sky
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amysrq
16 years ago
Fly, how dare you?

Such titillating description and no photos? ;-)
mahatmacat1
Original Author
16 years ago
Good morning :) maddielee, *thanks*! I didn't know there was an antiques forum here--I'll go over there and post.

skypathway--we just got the table from CL last weekend, and I am surprised how much I really love this table...we had a very nice modernist kind of table there before with unique lines, but the frosted glass just makes the room radiate when the light's on it. I love that there's not the pit of darkness under the table anymore, too. The bowl is a *bit* small to be a huge statement on the table (8.5" diameter, 4" tall), but it's still pretty.

amy, I know...I'm working myself there in my mind gradually...it's becoming more and more the standard now and my fears/memories of 2004 are fading...can you believe I don't have a photo account at all? Just e-mail photos to folks when we want to share them? But I wanted to ask for advice just in case anyone might be able to identify it as "oh yes, that's a fine piece of $2 junk from Canal Street" or something like that right off the bat. :) Regardless of its origin, I really love it, because the thorns on the sides of the stems (lotus have bumps on the sides of the stem--I didn't know that) are really attitudinal--like "you want to hold me, you'll have to figure out how, I'm not going to make it easy" and the wavy lines on the top are so beautifully rhythmic. Even if some poor worker got paid $.50 to make it, I cherish it already :)
amysrq
16 years ago
Okey dokey...so send me an e-mail! ;-) Then I'll leave ya alone. I mean really -- like "you want to hold me, you'll have to figure out how, I'm not going to make it easy" and the wavy lines on the top are so beautifully rhythmic.

I don't know the 2004 story....sorry...
Valerie Noronha
16 years ago
Ok. now I want to see it too! Can one of us post it for you? Gasp! You can write gal! We'll have to have you write up everyone's Cragislist ads. We'll have people saying I pay $100 for this or that with no pictures!
mahatmacat1
Original Author
16 years ago
amy, you've got mail :)

val, LOL about the writing--from time to time I can wax rhapsodic if inspired :) Let's see about the someone-else-posting concept, if it passes muster...
amysrq
16 years ago
Hey Fly!

Sorry to take so long on this. I was actually having a life, for a change... ;-D I'll tell ya more later.

Here's your pics!

{{!gwi}}
{{!gwi}}

Okay, all you porcelain experts, have at it!
skypathway
16 years ago
Not a porcelain expert - in fact I know nothing about the subject-----however the detail and finish on this piece is amazing.

Sky
annie1971
16 years ago
Does it have a mark or initials of any sort?
mahatmacat1
Original Author
16 years ago
Hey, amy--thanks so much for posting them! Now I have a visual presence on g'web :) Hope "life" is being good to you...I'll crosspost to this thread on antiques and see if anyone has any insight.

Thanks, skypathway--it was just sitting there singing to itself on the shelf...

annie--there's something that *may* be a mark, but I really doubt it--it's only some unevenness in the center of the bottom that got glazed over pretty well...I've seen vague marks before but this would be the absolute all time vaguest...it didn't even photograph.
mahatmacat1
Original Author
16 years ago
Wow, maddie & amy--I posted over there and someone found an eBay listing already that is so similar to my bowl--I swear I checked eBay but I must not have used the right search term--I realized it was lotus after having been checking for a while...they are definitely helpful--thanks for posting the pic, amy, and maddie, thanks for the suggestion to ask them!
amysrq
16 years ago
You're very welcome Fly! Glad you have some leads...

Yes, life is good, but it all always happens all at once! I am popping Rescue Remedy pastilles like candy!
mahatmacat1
Original Author
16 years ago
Well, I'll send good energy over to you to come through the "all at once" with gorgeous flying EK colors :)

(I didn't know Rescue Remedy came that way--I just remember the drops--they did seem to work *very* well. Another new favorite of mine is rhodiola, fwiw...)

how to find a good porcelain appraiser?

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