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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;khl889, post: 34120, member: 104&quot;]This looks much nicer than run-of-the-mill Chinese soapstone carvings because it&#039;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&#039;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.</p><p><br /></p><p>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&#039;s sold as Shoushan stone often isn&#039;t.</p><p><br /></p><p>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&#039;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.</p><p><br /></p><p>Of course, given the look-alikes for Shoushan stone and malpractices like dyeing, you&#039;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.</p><p><br /></p><p>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.</p><p><br /></p><p>(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.)[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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