NOTE: THIS PIECE HAS BEEN SOLD. Description remains for your reference and education.

This lovely handcrafted, early 20th century gaiwan decorated with a floral motif in goldleaf offers a lot of information in its inscriptions, including its production period: "Made in the winter of 1913", and a reference to the artisan "Yutian", or "Jade Fields", likely a nickname.

The horizontal row of characters on the side of the bowl are auspicious wishes (eg "wealth"), and the four characters around the lid say "Bada Shanren," a painter active in the early Qing Dynasty to whom homage is likely being paid by the craftsman of this gaiwan.

A jian ding (wax seal) at the base of the gaiwan, indicates that it was considered a "cultural relic" legally permitted to leave China.

The goldleaf is luminous and the gaiwan is in exceptional condition for its age.