chinese porcelain

unclemac

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Oct 12, 2011
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From time to time at a very specific site, over the last 20 years, I find pieces of the same bowl. This is a site where I also have found artifacts and is along the PNW coast. I often find flow blue earthenware sherds where I hunt and figure they are just remnants of HBC tradeware or early settler plates etc. But the pieces I am talking about are eggshell thin honest-to-god chinese porcelain and seem WAY wrong for the area. Anyone have any insights into this?...much appreciated.

here are a few examples of what i have found...you have to spot them in the crowd of "stuff". Look for the dragon piece top left in the first picture and two smaller pieces at the bottom of the second picture.
 

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rock

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I find the pieces of blue and purple glass in the same areas where I have found flints. Now I have also found slate pieces like they use to use in the old floors in the old homes.
 

monsterrack

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Since the Chinese was used for labor in the Alaskan gold rush , do you think some could have made it that far north along the coast:dontknow:, but that is for sure what it looks like to me
 

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unclemac

unclemac

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...so traded with the natives do you mean, or some stray Chinese folk were harvesting oysters on the beach?
 

redbeardrelics

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Most of the Chinese porcelain was made for export to western countries. It is common to find old Chinese porcelain in early to mid 19th century privies in east coast towns and cities. This is usually evidence that the peoples living in that place and time were using imported goods, rather than evidence that those peoples were of Chinese origin or descent. JMO, of course on the west coast there were more Chinese immigrants, so that may change the whole dynamic and interpretation?
 

GatorBoy

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Can you post a couple photos of the specific pieces you're referring to what I see in those photos are blue and white transfer print creamware.
That stuff is English.
Most of what I see in your photo is early 20th century
The Chinese porcelain down here is associated directly to the Spanish shipwrecks.
Here is the transfer print im talking about

ForumRunner_20140922_085802.png

Here is Kangxi dynasty porcelain recovered from a wreck of the Spanish 1715 fleet

ForumRunner_20140922_090032.png



ForumRunner_20140922_090058.png
 

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unclemac

unclemac

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sorry about the pics....i use my beach-combed sherds in the furniture that I make and didn't really become interested in these pieces until lately...I will try to get a hold of some of my past items to take close ups. No, these are most definitely not English blue and white transfer print creamware...or Dutch either. I am a potter and I absolutely know the difference between slip painted earthenware and actual porcelain. The pieces I find are translucent hard paste chips, not European export transfer ware. I realize that most of the items in my pictures are not actual porcelain...in the first picture, it is the piece three down from the top on the left and the second picture the two chips center bottom. All of these pieces (I have found maybe 20 in 20 years) come from the same item, from the same site, and many fit together...and eggshell thin. These were not your usual trade wear...I find those sherds all the time too and there is a big difference.

In the future when I find another piece (and I will) I will post just it the best I can before i use it....thanks for the responses.
 

GatorBoy

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I see the piece you're referring to now it would just be my guess it it was associated to the items in the same time frame as everything else in the photo. I find pieces of transfer print at one site that some of them I have been able to put back together.. 23 pieces in 5 years actually in this plate.

ForumRunner_20140922_095427.png



ForumRunner_20140922_095450.png
 

GatorBoy

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I'd check into Worchester porcelain for your piece.. The pattern and type of flower doesn't look Chinese to me
 

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unclemac

unclemac

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Most of the Chinese porcelain was made for export to western countries. It is common to find old Chinese porcelain in early to mid 19th century privies in east coast towns and cities. This is usually evidence that the peoples living in that place and time were using imported goods, rather than evidence that those peoples were of Chinese origin or descent. JMO, of course on the west coast there were more Chinese immigrants, so that may change the whole dynamic and interpretation?


and it this site the first land claim was in 1853, but there were five permanent Chinook villages and lots of seasonal camps within two hours easy stroll in either direction. The year round access to reliable and varied food sources is amazing to this day.
 

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unclemac

unclemac

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I'd check into Worchester porcelain for your piece.. The pattern and type of flower doesn't look Chinese to me


some of the early stuff does have the right color blue and similar style....can't find a match however...doubt I will.
 

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unclemac

unclemac

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this is good...but not the same

url
 

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