Featured Chinese Soapstone Carving - Age?

Here I show another piece of my Chinese collection that I like very much, but of which I am unsure of its actual age. It is a little soapstone carving ( 6x10 cm). I think it is of better quality than the usual ones I have seen and seems to have age. Could this be from 18th century? The antique dealer I bought it from had no idea, just stated it is "old".
Thank you again for any ideas,
Mat

 

18th C. is possible, but not likely IMHO. Looks late-Qing/early-Republic to me. 18th C. examples are much more detailed and refine.

Again, this is only my opinion, I'm no expert.

For an expert opinion and/or evaluation, I suggest you send images and/or vist a reputable auction house in your area or elsewhere. One particular with a qualified and experienced Asian Arts department who can examine this item and your Canton enamel piece in-hand.

 

Thank you 'Nuff_Said, I sent an email to the free opinion service of the Victoria and Albert Museum, maybe they can help!
Mat

 

Sorry I don't know how to tell age but I love these carved stone pieces myself. I think yours is nice but does that man in the center front have his head glued on or is that just a darkness in the stone?

 

Are you familiar with the differences of soapstone and the various materials called jade?

You have this in hand and it is difficult to tell from pictures, but this appears to be a harder stone than soapstone.

 

This looks much nicer than run-of-the-mill Chinese soapstone carvings because it's made of a higher quality stone, with a more sophisticated carving style. Most touristy soapstone carvings in China are made from Qingtian stone, while yours looks -- or is intended to look -- like it's made of Shoushan stone, which is generally far more valued than Qingtian stone, and carved in a different style, which is both more fluid and more intricate.

Shoushan stone, like Qingtian stone, comes in many shades, but that yellowish-ivoryish combination on your piece is very characteristic of one type of Shoushan stone. If this is indeed Shoushan stone, then your piece would have quite some value regardless of age simply because of the stone; good pieces of Shoushan stone have become rare, and what's sold as Shoushan stone often isn't.

Note that a heavy coat of wax, not oil, is often used to finish Qingtian stone, while Shoushan stone may be very lightly waxed, then slightly oiled. The rarest and best Shoushan stone doesn't need much treatment beyond polishing. The wax on Qingtian stone will break down and the piece will develop something of a dusty look over a few decades. All but the very best Shoushan stone also develops a duller look over the decades unless very lightly oiled from time to time. So take a close look at the finish on your piece.

Of course, given the look-alikes for Shoushan stone and malpractices like dyeing, you'd want to have someone look at this first-hand. From the photos, the stone does look a bit different on the bottom than it does on the rest of the piece. The most common substitute for Shoushan stone is the more abundant Balin stone, and distinguishing the two can sometimes be difficult.

Finally, is there a base? A piece like this would always have a customized base, and sometimes the base, if old, can also serve as a guide not just to age but to value: a good carving deserves an appropriately good base in terms of wood and handicraft.

(As to age and from the photos, the best I could say is it would not be a surprise if your piece came from a workshop in Fuzhou in the 1970s-80s, but not to rule out other possibilities.)

 

Thank you all again, especially khl889 for this great info about Shoushan stone! I was always thinking this could be Shoushan, but without having handled one it is difficult to compare just by pictures. The base colour is the same to the other sides, it is just not as polished as the other ones and the light in the photo makes it look different. Unfortunately there came no base with the carving, so this does not help dating it. The head of the man in the center is not glued on, there is just a darker part of the stone and some dirt in that place. The only damage on the piece is a small chip on the right rock on the backside. By the way, I think the theme of the sculpture is the "Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove".
Mat

 

The V&A Museum answered, they cannot tell the age of this one, as the style of such carvings has remained unaltered over a very long time...

 

My mother just gave me a carved soapstone vase that was given to her by her great grandmother. So it's over 100 years old. I'm wondering if you actually use it as a vase and put water in it will it harm it in any way? Thanks, Lisa

 

stick to dried flowers......water and plant matter will eventually leave residue on the stone..

 

Wow. That is a nice piece.

 

Hey Fever, have you posted on INTRODUCTIONS yet.......you're much needed around here !

 

Ok, I will update the introductions. Actually, I don't think I can help a lot and I am trying to learn from experienced collectors here.

 

Help, learn, make mistakes......it's all part of the deal !!!!

 

You could always find a tall glass that fits inside to hold water therefore not staining the stone with fouled water

 

Hello, WoN. A very sensible idea. When you have a chance, go to the Introductions forum & start a thread to tell us a little about yourself:

https://www.antiquers.com/forums/introductions.3/