Antique tile from Asia/Korea/?
Heavy Tile. The tile itself is 13" x 9 3/4" and about 1/2" thick. It is white with blue characters. It is not smooth, but the characters are not cut into it. The back is NOT beveled - just sold to the edges. Our family story says my dad did a a favor for a man during the end of WW II or Korean War. He took it off his wall and gave my dad this from his restaurant. He said there was only one other made, and it was on the other pillar at the front of the restaurant. He said it was very valuable. It has tiny nails in the back which I have no removed to see if anything written on the back of it. I can do that, but will it devalue it at all?
As noted in the description. My dad came back from the war with it and hid it away.
Inherited
Yes
Hello Cathy,
Thank you for your appraisal inquiry with Mearto. I apologize for the delay in your appraisal and thank you very much for your patience. The item presented appears to be a Chinese underglazed blue-and-white porcelain tile. The seal to the lower left is somewhat illegible due to the glaze but I can make out that it read hand-cut/carved. At this time, I am unable to properly date the tile. I would need to see the back of it exposed. I am not sure where the nails you mentioned are but if they are nailed to the frame, I don't believe you will damage the object if you removed the frame. Also, if a nail is in the tile, that may be an issue but the tile should be sturdy enough to survive without a nail.
The history attached to this object is very interesting. The estimate provided is based on recent auction estimates and results of comparable Chinese blue-and-white porcelain tiles in similar size. Please note asking or dealer prices may vary. Thank you and please take care.
Hi Cathy, if you can upload another photo of the exposed verso, I can take a look.
HI Sara:
I added the pictures. They are not good. I think you mostly see dirt. There is a small sort of "hole" which I tried to zoom in on, but that seems to be it. The dirt can actually be scraped off. I can do that, or if you would tell me how you would clean it, I will. Also I have decided to sell it.
thanks,
Cathy
Hi Cathy,
Wow, that does look very dirty. A little mixture of mild soap and water would hopefully clean that up. These tile are usually very sturdy. I mainly needed to see if the tile was beveled or not. Based on the photo, and limited access to authentication at this point, I was estimate the tile dates to the 18th to early 19th century.
Thank you. I have decided to sell it. Would you have a recommendation of the best way?
When you submitted the item, you were asked if you wanted to sell the item. If you selected "Yes" or "Maybe," the item was placed in a database that is accessed by auction houses. If an auction house expresses interest, they will contact you. You can find out more from our Consignment page (https://mearto.com/consign).
THANK YOU!!!!
Hi. There are no markings on the back that I can see. There is alot of older dirt which I am trying to gently clean away. It is almost as if there were a backing of some type of old material. Would you please give me an idea what to look for. THANKS!!!