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This Guanyin was for sale on a German auction recently with a starting price of EUR 80. She looked old to me, I thought if I gave her a good bath I would make her look great. On request the auction house sent me additional pictures. Notice the hollow inside, missing finger, encrusted glaze at the ear. Before bidding I decided to ask Peter about it. This is what he wrote:
Based on the images provided, the figurine while obviously done in the manner of very old Clanc De Chine pieces from the Dehua region is of a type and style only made during the last 30 or so years with that gray crackle surface. Do not buy it. Age: NEW Value:-0-
Now that I know it I see only two signs of a fake: the strange crackle on the clothes while the skin is clean. Dehua should be white all over I think. Also the dirt on the hand seems exaggerated like smeared on.
Would you have bought it? I'm afraid I would. Someone else probably paid a lot for it, but the auction house has published no list of results.
Birgit
Thank you for the wonderful learning example! I would have bought this thinking that it's old given the thin handmade open base and the crackle. I spent a while this week studying the Blanc de Chine pieces on Rob Michiels, and none of them had the crackle, but I still would've fallen for it.
@bartholin Me too, especially how they made that ruyi scepter look old and the ear, pretty amazing fake.
Hello Birgit:
I think you raise a number of issues one of which is that it is very difficult to date Blanc-de-Chine guanyins. It is not even clear to me what color they should be optimally. Aesthetically, I prefer the milk white pieces, but I think that ivory colors are acceptable too. I own a couple. I would not have considered this one for purchase. I have not previously seen that crackle in Blanc-de-Chine guanyins. I think it is rather ugly and is certainly atypical. The hollow interior does make it look old though. I would not have been able to determine the age, but I just don't think this is a nice example regardless of the age. As regards the missing finger, it is rare to find any with all the fingers intact even if they are only 30-40 years old. At one time, the He Chaozong Gourd Seal on the guanyin's back was supposed to be indicative of really old ones, but I understand that it can easily be reproduced on more recent figures.
As regards giving them a bath how would you do it? One of mine could do with some cleaning, but I have been very hesitant to do it. Instead of having a bright white color it is slightly gray in color, but that might be how it actually is rather than being somewhat dirty. Those fingers are really very vulnerable as is the ruyi scepter. I am posting photographs of one of mine below. It is about 10-1/2 inches in height. It was supposedly from the late Qing period, but I am inclined to think that it is more recent. Would you please comment on its likely age and what criteria you use to determine the age of these figures? Incidentally, the figure looks milk white in the photographs due to the use of a flash, but in person it is slightly gray-white in color.
Regards,
Errol
Hi Errol,
what a beautiful Guanyin! She looks indeed late 19th century. I know nothing about Blanc de Chine but after the disaster with the auction Guanyin I read a book about it. I found it quite interesting that obviously no Guanyins were made for export between 1720 and 1890.
The color could be cold or warm white at any time. What I meant with color was that a Dehua Guanyin shouldn’t be partly crackled but have the same color everywhere.
As for cleaning I imagined I would put her in a laundry detergent solution and gradually heat that. I have an asparagus pot with a wire insert where I clean small and delicate items. Then I would scrub her carefully with a toothbrush.
Birgit
Hello Birgit:
I am pleased you like her and find it reassuring that you would assign her to the late 19th century. I still think that dating them though is very difficult. There are always several offered on eBay by Chinese sellers at low prices without any claims that they are antique.
Regards,
Errol
I may have bought her, Birgit, but only if she was much cheaper and only because I like her. Like you, I have a soft spot for these figures but I have become very suspicious of old-looking Guanyins, especially of the white variety. I have seen so many at my local UK auction, particularly with the fake gourd seal that Erroll mentions. I tend now to assume they are new. Still, if I feel she gives off that wonderful feeling of serenity then I might still be tempted. Modern things aren't necessarily bad, I saw a beautiful one a few weeks ago but annoyingly got the auction day wrong!
I have to say the hand on the one you posted doesn't look right to me and may well have warned me off if I were looking for an old piece. Also as you mention, it is odd to have the crackle in places but I may have been taken in by that. I won't now!
Errol, my reservation about yours is the feet. She has a lovely expression and elegant shape, but the feet look clumsy and fat with rather long toes. That could mean nothing at all. My only other thought is, has she got too many beads?
Just seen Birgit's comment, she is usually right so I will put my reservations aside. 😊
Julia, I don’t really how old Errols Guanyin is. I saw similar ones from the late 19th century recently, probably in Alain Truongs picture library. When reading the book I noticed that the feet always look strange, even if made by the great masters. Nothing speaks against an honest modern Guanyin. Some years ago I bought the more beautiful sister of the statue below. She really dominates the room in her peaceful way. https://www.burmese-art.com/catalog/new-sitting-guan-yin-from-China-kwan-yin-1
Birgit
That's lovely. So many are. I was going to post a photo of the one I was after, to ask what people thought but that is how I found out I missed the auction!
This Guanyin was for sale on a German auction recently with a starting price of EUR 80. She looked old to me, I thought if I gave her a good bath I would make her look great. On request the auction house sent me additional pictures. Notice the hollow inside, missing finger, encrusted glaze at the ear. Before bidding I decided to ask Peter about it. This is what he wrote:
Based on the images provided, the figurine while obviously done in the manner of very old Clanc De Chine pieces from the Dehua region is of a type and style only made during the last 30 or so years with that gray crackle surface. Do not buy it. Age: NEW Value:-0-
Now that I know it I see only two signs of a fake: the strange crackle on the clothes while the skin is clean. Dehua should be white all over I think. Also the dirt on the hand seems exaggerated like smeared on.
Would you have bought it? I'm afraid I would. Someone else probably paid a lot for it, but the auction house has published no list of results.
Artificially colored with iodine
The crackles or the dirt?
Birgit
@shinigami I think Martin refers to her ear ache, but I do not think iodine is good medicine for ears. 🤣
Interesting thread. Here are some photos of my Guanyin. Not the highest quality example, but it is a 17th century example that I think doesn’t get faked much. At least yet!
@shinigami the crackle . i got this information from a dealer who travels reguarly to china to buy from the Second hand markets there, well atleast back in 2019 . She has a lot of experience with fakes , she knows about the tricks and cheats.
Also to get things out of China
Hopefully she gonna join this forum one day , lots of experience to share.
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