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Hello everyone. I am seeking expert opinions on a pair of Chinese porcelain plaques, traditionally mounted in wood frames. I have provided photos of the first panel fully assembled , and a second set of photos showing the second panel disassembled to allow for a closer inspection of the porcelain and the mounting components.
The Porcelain Plaques:
- Artist: Both are signed Wang Qi (王琦), leader of the "Eight Friends of Zhushan."
- Date: The inscriptions are dated Renshen (壬申) year, mid-summer (1932).
- Subject: Finely executed Famille Rose depictions of Buddhist Arhats (Luohans). The faces show the distinctive shading for which Wang Qi is famous.
- Dimensions:
- Individual porcelain plaque: 36 cm x 25 cm.
- Full frame (complete): 73 cm x 29 cm.
The "Composite" Decorative Panels:
Each frame features a decorative panel above and below the central porcelain.
- Visuals: One frame remains intact, showing how the porcelain is integrated with these red decorative elements.
- Material Analysis: I have disassembled the second frame to examine these pieces. They appear to be a molded cinnabar-colored composite (possibly a lacquer-based paste or tushao).
- Construction: As seen in the close-up photos,
these panels were secured to the wooden backing using small iron pins.
Key Questions for the Community:
- Hand of the Master vs. Workshop: Given that these are a pair dated 1932, do the brushwork and calligraphy look consistent with Wang Qi’s personal hand, or should these be attributed to a high-level contemporary studio?
- Mounting Style: Is this specific combination of porcelain and molded cinnabar-paste panels a recognized mounting style from the Republic Period?
- Material Confirmation: Can anyone confirm the exact composition of the red panels?
Thank you very much in advance to anyone who can provide information or insights regarding these pieces.
Hi Philippe, welcome to the forum. Your pictures don't enlarge well, but to me the painting quality looks rather average. The framing is nice and the pieces might indeed date from 1932. Mark is an expert for these paintings and will surely know more
Birgit
Hi Philippe,
Firstiy welcome to this great forum.
It is my opinion that this work is not from the master Wang Qi (who died in 1937). It is a copy or attribute to him and without seeing the back of the plaque it is probable to be around 60's - 80's.
The style of the calligraphy is wrong as are the read marks (seals).
Wang Qi had a very distinct way of paintimg especially with the way of clothing effects which id not seen on yours.
I have attached 2 copies for you to examine.
If this was genuine it would have been quite the find.
Mark
Thank you, Mark and Shinigami, for your feedback. However, I must state clearly that I do not agree with the suggestion that these plaques date from the 1960s-80s. I am not a specialist in Republic-era porcelain specifically, but I have been a collector of Asian art for over 35 years. My core collection focuses on Cloisonné, Bronzes, Jades, and Chinese Archaeology (including archaic jades and Han/Tang statuary). Managing a collection of several thousand pieces for decades has given me the experience to distinguish between modern industrial production and genuine period craftsmanship. Based on the material evidence, I am convinced these are contemporary to the Wang Qi era (circa 1932).
- The Frames & Finish: The wooden frames were crudely overpainted in black at some point, obscuring the original finish. Upon closer inspection, I found traces of water-gilding and gold emulsion beneath layers of 'bronzine' and grime, suggesting these were originally high-end, gilded displays that suffered from poor storage or humidity.
- The Composite Panels (Dui Shuo): The top and bottom relief sections are not resin. They are made of a traditional mineral-and-lacquer composite (often a mixture of lime, organic glue, and pigments) designed to imitate carved wood or zitan. In the 1920s and 30s, this 'trompe-l’œil' technique was a hallmark of luxury commissions and was highly prized as a demonstration of artisan virtuosity.
- Structural Evidence: The reverse reveals hand-forged iron spikes integrated directly into the composite mass during molding to secure them to the frame—a technique completely absent in 1960s-80s reproductions, which rely on modern adhesives or simple screws.
- I am providing new, high-quality photos to illustrate my findings:
- The Restored Panel: I have completely dismantled, cleaned, and reassembled one of the panels. I had to remove the thick layers of crude black overpaint that had been added later. This process unfortunately removed the degraded layers of bronzine and gold emulsion, but it revealed the original raw composite material, which is tinted in a deep red. In my opinion, exposing this original texture is far preferable.
- The Unrestored Panel: For comparison, I have included photos of the second panel, which remains untouched. You can clearly see the 'veil' of grime, the black paint overruns, and the heavy residues on the porcelain surface that I still have to clean.
- Hardware & Macros: I am providing macro shots, specifically of the mounting hooks. Their design, forging, and deep natural patina make it visually evident that these are not 1960s-80s components.
-
While I agree that Wang Qi’s early work is renowned for its extreme finesse, it is well-documented that after 1928, his style shifted toward a more expressive, 'untrammeled' (Xieyi) approach, heavily influenced by the painter Huang Shen.
-
Given the high quality of the materials and the technical complexity of the assembly, I am led to wonder about the exact origin of these pieces. If they are not from the Master’s own hand, could they be a high-end production from his direct studio (performed by his pupils) or perhaps from a contemporary workshop that specialized in his style at the time? I would be very interested to hear your thoughts on this possibility, as the level of craftsmanship clearly points to an elite commission of the period rather than a common imitation.
Thank you in advance for your further insights and for the quality of this exchange.
I don't see the quality of a master in these paintings. The work is average as Birgit expressed. I do think they could have a little bit of age so perhaps they are later Republic or early PROC. But I don't see these as being high value objects either way. At any rate they are interesting and attractive and would be nice to have on a wall. John
Hi Philippe -
And as with Mark and Birgit, welcome to this wonderful forum …
I would concur with Mark, in that your plaques are not by the Wang Qi, but either attributed to him or a later copy …
Look very closely at the overall painting style, individual motif details and the calligraphic writing style between the two plaques posted by Mark, and that seen on your two examples. The differences are very obvious …
However, as with John, they are attractive and would display nicely if hung …
Stuart
Thank you, Johnshoe, for your reply. And yes, I agree with you—this is average work and has little to do with what Wang Qi usually produced.
I may sound harsh, but I generally find that most 20th-century Chinese works are rather average, apart from a few rare workshops and masters. Early 20th century pieces can sometimes be decent as well. That is why I tend to focus on much older material, ideally 19th century or earlier.
Naturally, under those circumstances, my knowledge of this later period is quite limited—especially when it comes to porcelain panels.
That being said, I still find these panels interesting because they have a style that is quite different from what we usually see, and that catches my attention. I believe they deserve further research.
For Marc Adams, I am providing additional photos of the back of the panels as requested.
For your information, I found this panel at an auction, and the mounting appears to be very similar. I even think the upper and lower frame elements are made of the same material as mine. The difference is that, in this particular case, they do not seem to have suffered any deterioration and have retained their original painted decoration.
As for the porcelain panel itself, I personally find the painting style even weaker than mine and more conventional. Nevertheless, they still achieved a fairly respectable price at auction, which I find quite surprising.
90%+ of Wang Qi porcelain are copies. Some are even better than the originals. The ones you posted from auction sales are poor copies imo. They lack depth.
Only by catefully examining the style/angle along with read mark can you determine if it is genuine or not. This was taught to me by Simon Kwan.
After viewing the backs these look ok for Republic period or even early PrOC.
Whether yours are from a student/other or simply a atrribite its impossible to know.
I did ask a friend to translate.
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