Gerald Davison book: Marks on CHinese ceramic

Has anyone found this book useful in authenticating? Most of the analysis here seems to involve the painting, the glaze, the techniques etc. I get the feeling that most people don't put too much emphasis on the mark itself in trying to authenticate these pieces. Is the book more useful for very ancient stuff: like Ming and before?

 

Hard to say. Marks are useful and all books on a given subject are useful in one way or another, however handling a large variety of pieces and noting the differences and characteristics of known pieces is invaluable. This of course takes time.
A study collection of broken/damaged known period pieces is a good way to acquire knowledge at an affordable price.

 

So many Chinese pieces have marks that have nothing to do with when a piece was actually made. The mark is pretty much the last thing to consider in dating Chinese ceramics.