It’s about 10.5in x 3.5in. I attached more photos so you can see the hole on the top and bottom.

Another appraisal website told me that it is a Japanese piece written in Chinese. I don’t know if that helps or not, but it’s all I got.

Hello again Mallory,

So, the characters are traditional Chinese, which was the writing style used in Mainland China before 1949 (Mao introduced a simplified version). But in fine arts in China, they still use traditional. Traditional is also used in Hong Kong, Taiwan, some Korean fine arts, and Japan (as kanji). I agree with the other appraiser in that the style of this piece looks more Japanese than anything else-- the colors, materials (brass and gilt), and base design.

I also think it is a funerary urn, because of the wax stoppers. As far as the meaning of the writing, I picked out a few words and I think it must be a poem, based on the meanings. Here are some I translated:

有名 famous
土道 earth, path
力学 study
陽子 sun
绅 gentry

Unfortunately, this doesn’t tell me anything about which culture or the name of the person that it might be about. As far as date, I would guess that it is around 100-200 years old, based on style and condition.

As for selling/value, when ‘urns’ come on the antique market, they are exclusively vases shaped in the urn form. As far as urns with remains (we assume here), I haven’t seen these for sale-- might be too macabre.

Where did you pick it up?

I’m actually from Milwaukee- I see you’re in Rhinelander:)
We don’t have a significant East Asian population in Wisconsin, as far as I’m aware. Maybe Madison or Milwaukee would have small communities. I just wonder how this ended up there.

I guess it depends on what you want to do with the item, but maybe it would make sense to try to get in touch with a Japanese or East Asian organization (Shinto/Buddhist) to see if they have insights, or can even offer a place to intern this.

Some ideas

Korinji Rinzai Zen Buddhist Monastery in Reedsburg, WI
https://www.korinji.org/


Lakeview Cemetery, Seattle (might be a place to start that could give you more info. It’s a historic Chinese/Japanese American cemetery)
http://db.wingluke.org/apahs/lakeview.htm


Good luck on this and let me know if I can assist you further.

Oh, interesting. I actually got it a few years ago at the Rhinelander Goodwill.

Wow, that is quite a random find!

Hi Mallory,

I just saw you added the photo of the characters. I'm only partially fluent in Chinese, so when I don't know characters I use this site to translate:

https://www.mdbg.net/chinese/dictionary

Can you copy/paste the characters?

力 學 漢 詔 所 謂 茂
學 費 有 名 土 道 經
歐 陽 子 所 云 一 時
紳 會 推 遂 司 全
否 否 蓋 先 生 託
力 學 漢 詔 所 謂 茂
學 費 有 名 土 道 經
歐 陽 子 所 云 一 時
紳 會 推 遂 司 全
否 否 蓋 先 生 託

Hi again Mallory,

The online translation didn't make a lot of sense, but here are the results from two sites:

(google translate)
Force learning what is called Mao in the Han Dynasty
Tuition fees
Ouyang Zisuo said for a while
The gentry will push the whole
No No Cover Mr. Care

OR

(mdbg)
Mechanics Hanyu is called Mao
Tuition fees are well-known
Ouyangzi was in the clouds for a while
The gentry will push the whole
No No Mr. Gai To

Try to post the poem in this forum and see if anyone can give you a clearer translation. I think the reason the computer version is so bad may because the language is antiquated.

asian art forum:
https://www.asianart.com/phpforum/index.php