Character of Age, or a Fault: How We Read Condition

A guide to old surfaces, for furniture, textiles, ceramics, metalwork and vintage clothing

An object that has been used for fifty or a hundred and fifty years does not look new, and should not. Some of what time leaves behind is the reason the piece is worth owning. Some of it is damage. This page sets out where our curators draw the line, and how each side of it is written on the page.

1. The principle

We ask one question of every mark: does it change how the piece can be used, how long it will last, or what it is? If not, it is character and we describe it. If so, it is a fault and we name it as one, in the Condition section, before you pay.

Either way the mark is written down. Nothing is left for you to discover.

2. What we read as character of age

Material Expected with age
Timber and tansu Darkened or uneven lacquer and oil finish, small shrinkage lines along the grain, rubbed edges, old handling marks, drawers that run more freely in a dry season and tighter in a humid one.
Iron and copper fittings Stable dark oxidation, softened engraving, verdigris in recesses, slight play in handles.
Ceramics Crazing in the glaze, kiln marks and firing specks from the making, wear to gilding and to the foot ring.
Paper, scrolls and prints Toning, light foxing, soft creases from rolling, old mounting.
Silk, cotton and indigo Gentle fading along folds, softened hand, slight colour shift between panels, storage creases.
Leather Patina, darkening at handles and corners, fine surface creasing.
Vintage clothing Softened ribbing, light fading, minor thread pulls in embroidery, a label worn by washing.
Silver and plated metal Tarnish, fine hairlines from polishing, wear to plating at high points.

3. What we name as a fault

  • Breaks, splits or losses that affect structure: a cracked panel that moves, a failed joint, a missing foot, drawer runner or key.
  • Chips, hairline cracks and old repairs to ceramics, including lacquer-and-gold mends.
  • Tears, holes, moth damage, stains that have set, and seams that have opened.
  • Active rust, mould, odour or signs of insects.
  • Mechanisms that do not work: locks, zips, clasps, watch movements, music boxes.
  • Parts that have been replaced, re-lacquered, re-dyed or re-lined, where we can see it.
  • Peeling, stickiness or cracking in leather and coated surfaces.

A fault does not make a piece unworthy; a mended tea bowl may be the better for it. It does belong in the description and in the price.

4. How it appears on the page

  • Condition section. Each mark is named with its place on the piece, followed by a line on function where function can be judged.
  • Grade. Every piece carries a grade on the Japanese scale, from N (new) to C (marked wear). The photographs decide the grade; we lower it freely and raise it only on clear evidence. See Japanese condition ranks, explained.
  • Photographs. Marks are shown, never retouched away.
  • State. Where it is known, we say whether a piece is presented as found, cleaned, or restored, and what the restoration covered.

5. What we cannot see

Some things cannot be judged from the outside: the service history of a watch, the inside of a sealed box, the lining beneath a mount. Where we have not been able to examine something, the page says so in plain words.

6. Living with an old piece

Timber made for Japan's humid summers can move in a dry, heated room. Keep furniture away from radiators and direct sun, and let it settle for a few weeks before judging a tight drawer. Textiles prefer shade and air; lacquer prefers a soft dry cloth. Further reading: Tansu & Traditional Furniture and Kimono Textile Heritage.

7. Before you order

Every sale is final, so the description has to be enough. If a closer photograph or a measurement would help you decide, write to us through the contact page and the curator desk will reply within one to three business days. First order? Read Your First Order from Japan.

The Japonista Curation and Concierge Team
Tokyo, Japan