Chinese White Jade Dish & Rice Bowl, ca. 1925
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GUEST:
It belonged to my mother-in-law and father-in-law. My father-in-law was the first consul general for the new country of the Republic of Korea in New York City. I don't know how it came into their possession, but they gave it to my husband. And when he died, it came to me.
APPRAISER:
And what do you understand this to be?
GUEST:
My best guess is, it's a small white jade rice bowl and plate or saucer.
APPRAISER:
These two objects, which is a bowl, cover-- which is one object-- and this dish are unrelated.
GUEST:
Oh, really? So long as I've had them, they've always been together.
APPRAISER:
I'm going to take this down and actually put it here and hold this up. But they're completely different colors.
GUEST:
They are different colors, I knew that.
APPRAISER:
And it's also clear, if you notice this dish, there's nothing here in the center to indicate that this was a stand for the bowl and cover.
GUEST:
Ah, huh.
APPRAISER:
If you put the cup and cover on this, it's going to move around, and that's not how these were made. So one of the other features about this which is really interesting-- the dish-- is the shape of the wall, the edge here. You notice it's got a very wide center section that's flat and then it curves up. This shape is a distinctive Chinese shape. When I first saw this, my supposition was that it may have well been something from the 18th century, because this particular shape was something that was... a shape that was favored in the 18th century in China, and into the early 19th century. When I took it down and I looked at it, the sides are very thin, which I think is indicative of a slightly later period of time. And I looked at the underside, and you can see this kind of low foot on the edge. And there's not a mark here. And often on the 18th-century ones, you'll find a mark. And the very white color of this is indicative of a type of quality that would have been only available for the very wealthiest of people. That's what helps us to understand a timeframe when this was made.
GUEST:
Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER:
And the same sort of process I used for the bowl. So you can see here, it's a little bowl with a cover. And this shape is also a shape you find from the late 18th century and forward. So I suspect that this one actually is 20th century, also. Want to venture a guess about the value?
GUEST:
Maybe $1,000?
APPRAISER:
Well, I think it's worth a bit more than that. I believe that the two objects together are worth $15,000 to $25,000 at auction.
GUEST:
Oh, my heavens. Oh, my heavens! That is stunning.
Appraisal Details
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