Chinese porcelain with characters
Usually, the marks found on Chinese porcelain indicate the period in which they were made, during the rule of the emperors from Ming and Qing dynasties. Typically, a reign mark, which usually consists of six characters, is called ‘nianhau”. Some marks may not have the first two characters that indicate the dynasty, while some may not have the central two characters that indicate the emperor. A mark is crucial to assign the right period a Chinese porcelain piece belongs to. Various other details such as handwriting, glaze, and decoration are also indicative of the age and period.
Since cobalt blue was more popular, you will find a large number of European porcelain marks in cobalt blue color underneath the glaze. Porcelain pieces manufactured at the Imperial factory were marked with a period mark “nian hao” as commanded by the Emperor. A very small number of specialized painters used the Imperial period mark on their porcelain pieces.
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