Identifying porcelain & ceramics.

Porcelain tells its own story.

A base mark, a glaze quality, a specific cobalt blue used only in certain centuries, porcelain carries its complete identity in details that only a trained eye genuinely recognises. From Chinese Imperial porcelain (Ming blue-and-white, Qing famille rose and famille verte) to European Meissen (with the famous crossed swords mark), Sèvres (French porcelain for royal courts), Delftware majolica (the Dutch answer to Asian porcelain), and Belgian faïence (mass-produced in Nimy and Boch). Porcelain identification requires knowledge of glaze types (hard-paste versus soft-paste porcelain), decoration techniques (underglaze cobalt blue, overglaze painting, gilding and enameling), and production methods (wheel-thrown, mould-formed, hand-painted). Market value can vary by a factor of 50-500 based on these details alone. A Kangxi blue-and-white bowl can range from €500 (late Qing copy) to €50,000 (authentic Imperial piece), same visual category, vast price difference. Meissen porcelain from the 1720-1750 period with crossed swords and hand-painted famille rose decoration can reach €2,000-€15,000. The identical style from 1900-1920 (late reproduction) brings only €300-€1,500. The difference lies entirely in proof of authenticity, glaze brilliance, precise composition of colour pigments, hand-painted characteristics, and wear patterns that only genuine age creates.

AntiqBot is built on decades of hands-on specialisation in Chinese porcelain and European ceramics. The system recognises base marks (including fakes), glaze characteristics (colour nuance, craquelure patterns, glossiness), decoration styles (underglaze cobalt, overglaze famille rose, gilding techniques), and production methods. For Chinese porcelain: reign marks (6-character Kangxi, Yongzheng, Qianlong), clay composition (porous versus dense), glaze character (matte or brilliant), and fracture patterns (hard porcelain breaks clean, soft porcelain more granular). For European porcelain: maker marks (Meissen crossed swords, Sèvres crown), paste types (Meissen is bright and refined, KPM Berlin more geometric-neoclassical). Distinguishing authentic Kangxi blue-and-white from later 18th-century Chinese imitations is critical: authentic Imperial Kangxi commands €5,000-€50,000, a later 18th-century imitation only €500-€2,000. The marks alone are not enough, glaze quality and decorative precision reveal the true story. Meissen factories began porcelain production around 1710, a revolution in Europe where porcelain had previously come exclusively from Asia (extremely expensive, extremely rare). Meissen's crossed swords became the official mark in 1725 and was immediately counterfeited. Sèvres (French royal porcelain, founded 1756) used a crossed swords-crown mark and developed the famous bleu de roi (deep royal blue) and soft-paste porcelain recipe that was fundamentally different from Meissen's hard-paste formula. Delftware majolica (17th-18th century Dutch faïence) was actually earthenware with tin glaze, not true porcelain, yet highly valued by collectors for its distinctive blue-and-white decoration and role in Dutch artistic heritage.

From Ming dynasty marks (sometimes authentic, sometimes fake, the system learns both patterns) to 18th-century factory stamps (Meissen, Sèvres, Chinese Export marks) to 20th-century manufacturing (Rosenthal, Noritake), AntiqBot recognises the visual and physical characteristics. It is not about the name or mark alone: a plate with a Meissen crossed-swords mark can be authentic 18th-century Meissen (highly valuable), 19th-century imitation (much lower value), or 20th-century reproduction (basic commercial ware). The system learns the difference from glaze cracks, glaze quality, decorative refinement, and colour nuance that only centuries of production experience reveal. Authentic 18th-century Meissen porcelain exhibits distinctive gloss variation in the glaze layer, it possesses a full, deep brilliance that paste-reproduction pieces never achieve. The underglaze cobalt in genuine 18th-century pieces spreads beneath the glaze in a very specific manner that reveals hand-painted work. Moreover, authentic antique pieces show under microscopic examination tiny air bubbles trapped in the glaze, modern reproduction glazes lack these characteristic markers. For collectors, AntiqBot's analysis of these details is crucial: the difference between an original Meissen plate (€3,000-€8,000) and a 19th-century reproduction (€300-€800) is not subtle, it is economically substantial. Expertise extends to recognition of paste composition: hard-paste porcelain (Meissen, Sèvres hard-paste) fractures cleanly and acutely, while soft-paste porcelain (English porcelain, Chelsea, Sèvres soft-paste) breaks more granularly. A fracture edge examined under magnification reveals clues about age and origin. Old Chinese porcelain often shows natural micro-crazing in the glaze, a sign of extreme age. This distinction from modern pieces is unmistakable to trained eyes. The colour palette too: authentic famille rose from the Qianlong period used specific pigments (iron oxides, cobalt) that spread beneath glaze in a unique way. Modern reproductions employ chemically distinct pigments that react differently under UV light. This is why AntiqBot trains on micro-detail, not merely image recognition, but the microscopic characteristics only genuine expertise can distinguish.

Base mark is key.

The base mark is the most important element for porcelain identification. Photograph it as sharply as possible. Use a magnifying glass if needed and take a close-up photograph.

Also photograph the decoration (a plate photographed at an angle shows glaze thickness), the form and any gilding. Cracks or chips in the glaze are relevant for valuation.