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Dear friends, know nothing about soapstone bought this one as a learning object. There are black / red patches on it. Definitely carved, but no mark, there is a hole in one of wells. What can you tell me anything about the this rock? Age? Value? Etc. appreciated all your input. Thanks.
Hi Yin,
Your carving is soapstone. It's a modern interpretation and has little value in my opinion. But it's a good study piece.
Carefully exame the way the monkeys are hastily carved. Look at the foliage/other base. It's not fluid. It's stiffly carved.
Mark
@imperialfinegems Thanks Mark. I didn't pay much and can sell it as modern piece after I've done with it.
Black patches are bother me, is that nature? red/yellowish area seems melt into the stone, that would be ok right? Agreed with carving is not smooth. The carvings on the pots should be deeper and clearer, right? there is a chip and a hole on the right well, are they effect the value of the soapstone (so I can avoid it next time)? Does marks are important on the soapstone? I will have more question on the way, glad to have you here!!! Thanks again.
Hi Yin,
Yes brown or blackish is common. Chips are acceptable but cracks are not. Visual scratches especially on the base are common and expected, because the stone is very soft. You will sometimes find artists signature/other but rarely a reign mark.
Be careful though because it's a soft stone and easy to carve fakers have recently been using 3D modeling to produce/copy known works.
Mark
@imperialfinegems I am pretty sure mine is a modern piece, why does this say Republic, can you help me to point out the differences. Thank you.
Hi Yin,
The one from rubylane antiques is not republican period. It's much later. It's on great condition because it's new!
When buying soapstone it's imperative that you keep a careful eye on the details. As soapstone is a very soft material it's very easy to carve.
The one from rubylane is very typical of tourist ware. Often sold as vintage or older. Notice the lack of any definitive details. It's been quickly carved.
Here are a few examples of late Qing, early republic period carving. You will instantly see what I am writing about here.
But.... Be careful as I have seen some spectacular carvings made by 3D printer. Very difficult to tell the difference from images.
Does this help answer your question?
Mark
Mark, does soapstone break easily? I have a piece that looks to have fractured at some time. I didn't think it would break easily but I suppose someone could have thrown it in rage - or maybe it is some kind of resin but it looks and feels like stone.
Would it be a sign of quality and age if the back side of the brush pot was also carved? As in a good netsuke where all sides are carved with the same care? Excuse the stupid question, I see lots of soapstone brush pots on Ebay but know nothing about them.
Birgit
@julia Like Luther throwing the inkpot at the devil (stain still visible today)😄
Birgit
@julia and @shinigami,
As soapstone is very soft stone (you can scratch it with your nail) it can easily be damaged by simply dropping it or even knocking it over.
The better ones are carved on both sides. The details are extraordinary.
Most of the ones on eBay are not old but newer tourist type ware. They actually all look the same.
As the name suggests, when you touch/feel said carvings they feel like holding/touching a bar of soap.
If one was ever going to buy soapstone carvings then only buy those that are actually old without damage if possible. A small crack is acceptable (to a point) but a full break is not.
Pay attention to the details. Especially the facial features, hands, robes both back and front.
Later (crudely) carved tourist type carvings are worth nothing and should be avoided at all cost!
Telling the difference between old and new can be daunting at first but once you have seen a few genuine ones the difference is obvious.
Its a lot easier than jade.
Mark
Thanks Mark. I will post up a few photos, hope Yin doesn't mind. There is a monkey so it is kind of on topic. I liked it and got it very cheaply - probably due to the damage if it is indeed soapstone.
Hope it is ok to do this, Yin? If not maybe Mark would remove it for me, please?
Who knows, if it is soapstone and not made recently, it may be useful.
It was the way the horses face was done that made me wonder about resin. I don't think it is, though: it is cold and all the resin I have handled feels warmer than this. It is about 4 inches/10 cms long.
Birgit, as you can see, it is carved on both sides but then maybe a shape like this would be?
If I may just join in - I actually think the Yin Hall's soapstone figure is early 20th ct. There are quite a few of these figures available online stated to be early 20th.
I remember someone commented on a similar figure at the asianart.com-forum that the were mass-produced in that period and exported to the West where they would fit nicely in to people Art Deco interiors popular that time.
I often see them in antique stores windows here locally. They are not really valuable imo.
@imperialfinegems Thank you Mark, most helpful. I will save your answer in my knowledge folder.
Birgit
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