Chinese ceramic mark philosophy Chinese artists hold a different philosophy than most of their contemporaries world wide. In Europe and America for instance a potter will put their own company or individual mark on the piece if they made it, even if it follows a style of an earlier artist. A piece is considered an individual item set aside on it’s own merit. These artists’ would frown upon using the mark of the earlier artist they are emulating, unless there is some intent to deceive.
In china however artists pay homage to the creators of the design or form. It is thought honorable to use the mark of the earlier artist who’s style is being copied or emulated. As a fictional example, if Americans followed the same philosophy and Benjamin Franklin had made a line of ceramic wares that depicted a design of kites and lighting, and in 1950 John Smith made a similar line, he would honor the original artist and use the same mark that Ben used even though his wares were much newer and not even made during the same time as Ben Franklin.
Sometimes Chinese artists might make a minor alteration to the mark to stamp it as his work, but to the casual observer the alteration would be very hard to spot. To the western mind this practice might seem unfair and slightly deceitful. To the Chinese this was considered an honorable practice and a sign of respect.
This practice makes dating Chinese wares extremely difficult. Perhaps if I could read Chinese it would be easier!
This plate
After pouring through thousands of known Chinese marks, and scrutinizing the lines, I managed to find an exact match of this Qianlong 6 character double frame.
Qianlong was a Chinese emperor who ruled China during the late 18th century. (We’ll learn more about him shortly.) This mark is connected to this period, but not made during that period. The box has two lines, making it a “double frame”, and there are six characters written within the box. This mark is known specifically as a Da Qing Qianlong Nian Zhi mark, used between 1949 and 1966.
I doubt this is a reproduction, a copy of a particular piece from an earlier period, as I have not found reference to the paisley design being used earlier. I am guessing (and it is a guess) that the layering style and build up of the design was developed during the Qianlong period, and hence honored in this mark. The layers and depth in this paisley design are just incredible. T
here is a texture and a beauty to this piece that I found simply stunning. This wonderful piece of art has found a home in Washington D.C.
The Qianlong Emperor
There is a connection between Washington and this plate. The Qianlong Emperor ruled from 1736 to 1796, a contemporary of George Washington who was president of the United States from 1789-97. The Qianlong Emperor and Washington both died in 1799, at ages 88 and 67, respectively.
This emperor was a passionate art collector and writer. During his 60 year reign, China expanded to an unprecedented size, encompassing Tibet, parts of Russia and the Koreas. His grandfather, the Kangxi Emperor, set a new precedent by touring the entire empire on several occasions. The Qianlong Emperor followed in these footsteps, and completed 6 full southern inspection tours during his reign, unprecedented in Chinese history prior to Kangxi. It is only under the reign of the Qianlong Emperor that the image of a multiethnic Chinese empire began to emerge, embracing Han, Mongol, Tibetan, Manchu, and other indigenous traditions.
Not only did he encompass many religions, he patronized the arts, and the number of ancient Chinese paintings, literary works, sculptures, and artifacts collected during the Qianlong Emperor's reign was also unprecedented. The collections of the national palace museums in both Beijing and Taipei were largely formed under the Qianlong Emperor and are the largest repositories of important Chinese artifacts that remain today.
THIS ITEM HAS BEEN SOLD
Million dollar art? To answer "yes" would be a major understatement. In November of 2010 A Qianlong period (c.1740) Imperial vase with six-character reign mark became the most expensive Chinese work of art ever to sell at auction anywhere in the world. It sold for $83 million.
Below is the words “Frankurt e. Main", though
the middle initial (?) is hard to make out. At first glance, and second for that matter, I read Frankfurt. Oddly a search with the term"Frankfurt" turned up a similar eagle being used on products on Zazzle touting the city. (product image of something from Frankfurt). Though the eagle motif is common German insignia. Any searches with Frankurt in the string turns up pretty much nothing. It seems like it must be a name, but beyond that it is a mystery to me.
The gilding on the rim, handle, and base all
seem intact and in good shape. It weights
1.2 ounces. On the bottom it says it is “handpainted”
and "Made in Germany". It also has what appears to be an “S” above “Bayreuth”. The eagle on the front is certainly reminiscent of Royal Bayreuth lions (http://www.porcelainmarksandmore.com/bavaria/tettau_1/00.php). However the mark on the bottom does not seem to be a Royal Bayreuth, and in fact I can't find anything similar. 
