Antique condiment bowls

These beautiful hand-painted little bowls are definitely old.

We don't know how old. They could be from anytime between the seventeenth and late nineteenth century. Sadly, they are part of the forgotten history of pottery, made by the common people for the common people.

They are quite casually made - chips are glazed over, the body is not totally symmetrical.  Yet the brushwork is exquisite. 

They look like the body may be stoneware. It is grey, and quite coarse. The glaze is a translucent white with traditional cobalt blue decorative work.

 While researching them, we came across this interesting link to similar bowls from Fujian province: http://ancientartifax.com/asian.htm.