Christmas 2019

To celebrate Christmas 2019 here are 2 dusky red carnelian seals from different countries and maybe centuries, both with intaglio carving of animals.

Seal carving of  deer?

Carving of bird

The left seal looks like a deer with antlers on the head but wings on the body seem contrary. It has the feel of some legendary animal from ancient times. It is oval shaped and is also a bead as it is perforated from both sides and measures 3 cm across.

Seal is also perforated

The tiny, round seal on the right has a bird carving on one side and is plain on the other. Measures 1.5 cm

Plain  back

The deer like seal was purchased in China while the bird seal was bought in Cambodia. I don't know what  exact age or culture these seals belong to so just enjoy them as  lovely artworks from the past. 😊

....And  not forgetting the plasticine   impressions of the two seals.

Is this a deer?

Depicts a bird.

Lastly,  here is a picture I specially colored  to send Seasons Greetings to Readers on the Net💖💖💖

Merry Christmas !  Happy 2020!

Beaded Floral Sprays

Having made Jade Sprays, see  related link  https://baiyu-quietmuse.blogspot.com/2015/03/new-life-for-old-charms.html I have moved on to making  Beaded Floral Sprays. Below are some examples of my work using seed beads, old glass beads, and jade.

a basic spray of daisies

made from old Peking glass crumb beads

look like lily buds ?

And  a collage of my beaded sprays

Collage of  3 beaded sprays

Colourful beads make pretty flowers

I like to portray my beads as flowers

My miniature sprays also look nice standing in miniature antique bottles seen below

Composed from a mix of glass beads and jade charms

The last and most complex spray's pattern was copied from a book and made  with small seed beads, carnelian beads and jade leaves.

Pattern copied from a bead and wiring book

 *See also link  https://baiyu-quietmuse.blogspot.com/2015/03/new-life-for-old-charms.html

Whimsical Whistles from Long Ago

This post will be going slightly off topic as I will be showing objects which are neither jade nor beads. Instead I will show my 3 antique  ceramic whistles from around the Song - Yuan dynasty or later.  But since whistles like beads are tiny and have pierced holes I somehow see a connection.😊

Antique porcelain whistles are one of the tiniest artefacts made by Chinese potters. I don't really know what function they serve in the old days but it has been speculated that whistles are toys (for children ?) Another research paper has put up a theory that they are possibly musical  instruments giving out wonderful notes.  So far I have not the nerve to  test them with my mouth.😋

My 3 whistles were made in the Cizhou kilns of Hebei, China. This kiln mostly catered to the needs of common people  and Cizhou porcelain was typical of folk wares of this period.

Now to show the pictures of the 3 diminutive figurine whistles. The 2 smaller whistles are only 4.5 cm high while the bigger one measures 6 cm. 

3 ceramic whistles from  Cizhou kilns

This pair looks like a pair of twins. They have a dignified air and  I cant make out whether they are boys or men. Also seem to be bearing some object in their hands.

Are they twins?

Although the bigger whistle has lost its glaze some details can still be gleaned. The figurine has a  benevolent smile and mien with hands  clasped round a bag with handle

Figurine has a benevolent smile

Showing the back of the  2 smaller whistles

Holes on top and at the back

The bigger whistle unfortunately  is partially broken at the back

Partial damage to the back

And here's a modern whistle from granddaughter Sophie, borrowed for comparison.

Modern 2018 child's whistle

Whistles from 10th-to 21st century.

The old with the new

* Please refer to Freer and Sackler Museum website for more examples of whistles from Cizhou kilns.

Kneeling Jade Figurine

Today I'd like to share a kneeling jade figurine with tall well shaped hat. I am not sure what period he belongs to but as there are many kneeling jade figurines from Shang dynasty (1700BC-1027BC) to the Han dynasty (206BC-220AD)  I would place him tentatively around this timeline plus or minus (excuse me if I'm wrong)😎

jade man in a respectful pose

 He is carved in a kneeling position with both hands placed neatly on his lap and cuts a dignified, respectful pose, The little figurine measures only 6cm

Measures 6cm tall

I am most struck by the beauty of the outstanding hat which must be indicative of some importance so it is likely that he is an official or emissary rather than a servant.

The front of the hat is well carved and it slants slightly backwards. It has 4 vertical grooves  displaying a fine mesh of delicate toolmarks  which can be seen on close inspection. The back is flat, straight and undecorated.

the front with vertical grooves and the back flat and uncarved.

The hat is also hollowed out with openings on both sides. If you peer through the cavity you can see toolmarks left behind by long ago jade artisans.

toolmarks are visible through the hat's cavity.

                     

Each ear is decorated with a cloud scroll  motif. Such motifs are common in Spring and Autumn and Warring States period. (1046-256BC)

ears with cloud scroll  motifs

The side profile is reminiscent of the famous jade figurine with key excavated from Fu Hao's tomb Shang dynasty (1700-1027BC)except that this one does not have a key. Instead it has a tall hat.

Side profile

Finally, here is  a front and back view of this little figurine from the past.

showing the front and back view

Welcome to Lunar New Year of the Pig 2019

Although Pigs are not one of my favourite collectibles, nevertheless I will still uphold the good ole lunar new year tradition and dig up some odds and ends to celebrate Pig Year 2019

To my surprise I found quite a few, 12 to be exact of pigs made from jade, agate, glass and pottery. Their vintage range from ancient time to present day. Of the 12 pigs below 11 are from Chinese culture with one odd one out,. Can anyone guess which one?😊

12 little piggies

I will describe and enlarge each pig in detail. Starting with the oldest first, below is the little piggie from Xizhou dynasty (1046-771BC) see related link https://baiyu-quietmuse.blogspot.com/2017/05/in-praise-of-ancient-chinese-ornaments.html

2cm x 1cm

Next in order of age are 4 pigs made from jade and agate shown below maybe from China's Han dynasty (206BC -220AD) as they exhibit the characteristics and carving styles of Han dynasty pigs. The Han pigs are long and lank carved with the Han ba-dao (8 cut) style. The top two pigs are carved from jade and bottom  two are made from agate. The bottom two are also beads as the have perforations.

Han dynasty pigs made from jade and agate

A pottery pig from Tang dynasty (618-906AD) is shown in following picture.

Pottery pig from Tang dynasty

5 modern day pigs made from jade, glass and crystal  shown below

These 5 are from the 20th century

And so .... reader you guessed it the odd one out is the agate little pig from Myanmar's Pyu Dynasty (around 2nd century BC -11th century AD)

Snout nose pig from Pyu dynasty

The ancient piggies are a bit sombre coloured and so to add de rigueur festive color to this post are 3 little pinkie piggy ang pows.

Happy Lunar New Year of the Pig 2019