This is a genuine Tianshun/Chenghua bowl from the Ming dynasty China. The reigns are dated 1457-1464/1465-1487 respectively. The outer floral scrolls and the size and style of the inner mark match other Tianshun/Chenghua bowls in a Chinese porcelain database. Also similar is the overall bowl shape, the glaze color and blue rings positioned in the bottom of the bowl and on the flared upper rim. The inner mark has been used in other time periods, but is usually found on the base. The mark is named 'fu' which means 'happiness'. This bowl came from the Chao Praya river at Ayutthaya, Thailand. Ayutthaya was the ancient capital of Thailand from the 1300's until the 1700's, thus much trading was accomplished with the Chinese to bring in porcelain. You can see the coarse sand that has been semi-cemented inside the base while spending centuries under the river. The bowl is in great shape with two types of age crackling visible on both the inside and out. The fine colorless crackling in the glaze requires a closer inspection while the yellowish lengthy crackling is easy to see. The bowl has so little use-wear within that it likely was never used. It appears that there is a chip on the upper rim, but it occurred previous to applying the glaze as it is completely concealed. This antique is a great specimen for any collector of Ming bowls. The bowl measures 15.2cm wide by 6.7cm high.

The bowl is in great shape with two types of age crackling visible on both the inside and out. The fine colorless crackling in the glaze requires a closer inspection while the yellowish lengthy crackling is easy to see. The bowl has so little use-wear within that it likely was never used. It appears that there is a chip on the upper rim, but it occurred previous to applying the glaze as it is completely concealed.