Information on "origins and development of the Chinese written language" precedes the extensive catalog of marks, including marks in regular kaishu script, marks in zhuanshu seal scripts, symbols used as marks, directory of marks, and list of potters.

Among the most revered and beloved artworks in China are ceramics—sculptures and vessels that have been utilized to embellish tombs, homes, and studies, to drink tea and wine, and to convey social and cultural meanings such as good wishes and religious beliefs. Since the eighth century, Chinese ceramics, particularly porcelain, have played an influential role around the world as trade introduced their beauty and surpassing craft to countless artists in Europe, America, and elsewhere. Spanning five millennia, the Metropolitan Museum’s collection of Chinese ceramics represents a great diversity of materials, shapes, and subjects. The remarkable selections presented in this volume, which include both familiar examples and unusual ones, will acquaint readers with the prodigious accomplishments of Chinese ceramicists from Neolithic times to the modern era. As with previous books in the How to Read series, How to Read Chinese Ceramics elucidates the works to encourage deeper understanding and appreciation of the meaning of individual pieces and the culture in which they were created. From exquisite jars, bowls, bottles, and dishes to the elegantly sculpted Chan Patriarch Bodhidharma and the gorgeous Vase with Flowers of the Four Seasons, How to Read Chinese Ceramics is a captivating introduction to one of the greatest artistic traditions in Asian culture.

Chinese porcelain of the period 1820 through 1920 has, to date, been the province of a minority of academic authors and a few adventurous dealers and collectors. This misunderstood but fascinating field of study is now brought within the reach of the average collector. Written with the interests of novice collectors and dealers in mind, superbly illustrated in colour throughout, each of the introductory chapters conclude with suggestions for further reading, and thus provide a fast but solid grounding for the primary focus of the book: dating of later Chinese porcelains. This book discusses marks, reign marks, footrims, glazes, bubbles, flaws and imperfections, and other indications of a date of manufacture, including the contentious subjects of hollow line and the reversed S; illustrating in close-up images many of the features used by the author to substantiate his assertions. Unashamedly provocative, Allen concludes with chapters on those subjects most earlier writers treated as taboo, including Modern Fakes and their Detection, Buying Trips in Asia, and Recommendations for Investment.

Illustrated guide to the major forms of Chinese porcelain art from prehistory to the Qing Dynasty.