Identification of Copper red porcelain 1. Glaze should be very thick on Ming porcelains. A. Glaze can be up to 3 mm thick and full of large and small bubbles. B. The red color will spread throughout the depth of the glaze on Ming wares. C. Glaze can look as though its sprinkled with cinnamon powder. D. Color can vary from purple to black to blood red on the same item. E. When photographed Ming reds will look the color of blood, purer red then in-hand. 1. Qing shades from light red to peach colored pink. a. Fakes often loose their beautiful blood red color when photographed. 2. White reserves on early Ming wares is often lumpy in texture. a. Green spotting is usually not present on Ming copper reds. b. Qing reds often have green spotting by the red color. c. Although the clear glaze can shade light green. F. Underglaze red should not have any crackle. g. Large granular particles can often be found in antique glazes. G. Foot-rims can burn a very light honey color where unglazed, often in a narrow band on the foot. 1. Foot-rims will be non-concentric on older porcelains. a. The walls of the foot will be thicker on one side than the other. b. Sand is often found adhering to the foot-rims. c. Early porcelain is very glassy compared to newer porcelain. d. Glassy old foot-rims should be shinny enough to reflect light. e. Circular items should be off-centered from kick wheel production. H. The porcelain surface will have an orange peel texture and may have pinholes from bursting bubbles. I. Porcelains should weigh about 1 pound per 1 inch in height or diameter. 1. Xuande reds are usually thicker then newer reds. J. Stenciling is not present on Ming porcelains, its usually present on Qing porcelains. K. Large porcelain items can have some warping at the edges and sagging in the middle. 1. A shoulder is often found on the inside bottom above the foot-rim, sagging slightly. 2. Often bowls are out of round from kiln firing. L. The center of turned porcelains should have a protrusion (nipple or mound) on the top and interior bottom. 1. The larger the item, the larger the protrusion. 2. Even the smallest wine cups will have nipples in the centers. M. Most Ming or Qing porcelain for sale is flawed in some way. 1. Flaws can include warping, kiln burning or blurring, poor colors or unfinished designs. 2. Flawed Imperial porcelain was sometimes but not always destroyed. 3. Often times palace eunuchs would steal flawed porcelain to resell. 4. Flawed porcelains often ended up in tombs of the rich or powerful. N. Ming foot-rims can be rough, Qing foot-rims are usually round and smooth like dry macaroni. O. Early Ming bases are often unglazed and burned brown, called rice paste base. P. The quality of painting and detail is always higher on imperial porcelain. Q. Thermoluminecence testing can be inconclusive. Dating can be destroyed from the extreme heat of the kiln. R. Imperial foot-rims are often filed flat before kiln firing on Ming wares. S. The rarity of imperial clay has caused flawed items to be accepted. T. Often looking at any antique porcelain for months will detail the truth of its age. U. Often porcelains will have calcium or grit adhering to the body from long term burial.