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Hey Folks,
So another oddity I just couldn't help but buy. Sold as 20th century, so I am not expecting much. That said, the mark is interesting as is the technique of decoration. The mark is ( I think) Qianlong Yu Wan, which if I understand correctly "for the Imperial enjoyment of the Qianlong"... or something along those lines. These marks are on mostly scholar type objects made in the Qianlong and Jiaqing periods, though there have been 19th/20th pieces that sold for very strong prices in China, like a bit higher than I'd expect for republic pieces, with this mark. The objects are usually Jade, or a combo of hardstone/wood/ivory, or glass, though admittedly I mostly see jade pieces, there were a few ivory table screens that I found on a Chinese site but I couldn't save the links...
Whats weird to me is the "paint" is more like ink or dye, and I have found very little about this type of decoration, virtually no examples from the 20th century, at least in color and not carved, there have been a few grisaille ones though. I also can see that some has worn off but I do not know the extent, like the red border patterns look to have shading or perhaps gilding that is now gone. Acetone would probably remove it all, so not super stable whatever this is. I have dealt with George III dyed ivory handled knives before and this is very similar properties.
The scale is something else, these are small, so while seemingly simple decoration and quickly executed, remember the figures on the bridge are 2mm tall. Overall the height is 128mm, so not tiny but certainly miniature.
So I am curious what you all think, 1920s or so or much later? I do think there is age, I am just not sure if its Proc or earlier.
Cheers,
Jeremy
The decoration is terrible. The material might not have been illegally obtained, but I dont think this is very old.
HI Jeremy,
These are definitely stained/dyed not painted.
Stained ivory was very popular during the later 19th through to the early 20th Century .These are Chinese not Japanese.
What's unusual about these is the round base's. Ivory figure's etc should for larger carvings always have oval not round. There are exceptions of course but not many. Round indicates under normal circumstances for large carvings that the material is resin/other and not elephant ivory. These should be fairly heavy as bone and most resin copies are not. But being perfect rounded base's is definitely not normally correct so I would perform a hot needle test. Alternatively you can perform a UV test but unless you are familiar with the various shading seen on both ivory and resin this may not be helpful.
Ivory should be a bluish-white whereas resin more intense blue to orange but this isn't definitive because of the presence of the dye in the artwork that could present false readings. So I would perform a hot needle test preferably at the base so it's not too destructive etc.
But I can see clearly the shregger lines and though they can be faked (resin) yours look okay. I can also see what looks like a natural crack.
The Chinese were not the master's of carving or decorating ivory. The Japanese were and this is reflected in your vases.
You have a pair which is always better than one. And as Peter often states a pair is times 3.
The style is reminiscent of Wang Yeting a Republic period artist with that heavy blue/black. Almost sloppy.
That silver inlaid I have seen before on ivory but a long time ago. I have also seen it on resin more recently.
I don't think these are 19th Century nor Republic period. I think these are 1950's -60's. Possible 1970's but unlikely due to the style etc.
They are very nice. I like them if they are genuine.
MARK
I kinda like the wishy washy landscapes, but to each his own. I would never call them terrible, simply cause I have seen some truly awful export pieces, these wouldn't even come close. I don't really think they are crazy old but figured maybe republic to PROC.
Jeremy
Hey Mark,
Its funny I was reading your posts as you were editing, while at dinner... your thought process was just like mine when they came in. Not so much the round bottoms, but hot pin test, then UV test. I have quite a few ivory pieces, so I always check when they come in. Sorry I should have mentioned that.
Interestingly I thought the mark was on a piece was silver too, but they are carved mother of pearl.
I have yet to find any Chinese stained ivory that aren't fairly basic, kinda interesting too your point about Japanese ivory. Generally I far prefer the intricate carvings they do. Just happened that these were hard to find a comp for so they intrigued me, plus I really like the landscapes.
Now I need to save up like $50k to get a Wang Yeting landscape, I really like those too.
1960s-80s would make sense to, I just wondered if republic, but those bands of decorations at the rim key, lattice, etc... totally looks like those on PROC porcelain.
Cheers,
Jeremy
Hi Jeremy,
It's possibly Republic period. These can be difficult to dare at the best of times.
Firstly please confirm its ivory.
MOP seal mark. That's very unusual.
Market
I think unusual describes almost everything about them.
Just discovered the neck portion is a separate piece form the rest while trying to get a spider out of one, I'm not going to take it apart but there is definitely a joint at the base of the neck. interesting to say the least.
They are definitely ivory. red hot pin did nothing to note, UV they are the same as my other pieces.
Cheers,
Jeremy
Not surprised that its made of more than one section. Confirms ivory actually on higher probability etc.
I have never seen one with MOP seal insert. Silver yes.
@jbeer2121 The last picture is perfect to show everyone what the cross hatch pattern of natural ivory looks like. Looks the same as antique carved ivory earrings I inherited, if it is antique, there is an exception to total ban in some states, but check before you sell them on to make sure they do not go somewhere with strict ban without exception. My guess is Republic, which means antique or soon will be, like me, so it should fit within an exception in many places or better yet, keep to enjoy. I do not find the decoration objectionable.
Hi, I am going to go against everyone here and say I actually think it's very well done and that the painting/staining is actually very much on par with what you would see on Republic pieces. While it may seem like it's sloppily painted, it's not an easy technique to do, and out of ALL the painted ivory pieces I have come across (mostly snuff bottles) this set far outdoes any of those. The form of these vases are also very Republic imho. You can tell that the quality of these vases is high because the perfect form of the vase, very uniform and well proportioned.
It is 100% ivory, you can see evidence of this in some of your photos. I am certain this would be something you'd buy in the 1920-30s in Shanghai to bring back home from your trip.
The only issue I have is that crazy MOP Qianlong seal, which is also superbly done. I haven't seen anything like that before.
If you plan on selling them, it may be a bit difficult but there are venues you can send ivory pieces to who will provide you a CITIES certificate that states it is pre-ban and can be legally sold, just make sure you look into it first! Either way, very nice vases! It's nice seeing things I haven't seen before.
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