Featured Chinese women on plaques - Many questions

I was trying not to buy any more things this month, but I was immediately attracted to these and the price was right. What I observed about them is that the figures are not hand painted and you can see the edges of the transfers (I hope that is the right word), but someone overlaid them with thick paint in places creating a sort of three dimensional effect. The plaques are 5 inches by 7 inches. The frames are well made. My questions are as follows:

1. Are they modern or vintage? Or is that an impossible question?
2. Bronwen has answered this. They are the four beauties of Ancient China with a seasonal format.
3. Are they ceramic or porcelain?
4. What is this technique of painting over transfers called, so I can do research on my own?

Whatever you can tell me is fine, but I hope I can get the seeds so I can use them to learn a little bit about this kind of thing.

 

I can't answer your questions sorry.
But notice the faces are somewhat Anglicized - So I vote newer.
They are still pretty.

 

I keep going back & forth with myself over whether they strike me as Japanese or Chinese, but think you may be right about their representing the seasons. Best guess is that the order they are shown in is: Summer (by default); Winter (the head scarf & indoor activity indicated by musical instrument, less greenery); Spring (when flowers bloom & peacocks put on their mating display); Autumn (harvest moon in background, looks like incense burning?) Agree they appear geared to western taste. And very pretty.

 

Will do. Thanks

 

Signatures.

 

Thanks for identifying them. I wasn't sure about two of them. Perhaps because they are for Western taste, the differences are not as clear.

 

This batch use some of the same conventions: incense & moon; flowers in bloom; musical instrument; little pond (with lotus flowers instead of cranes/herons):



http://thytrading.com/Set-Of-4-Orie...Wall-Art-Plaques-Four-Beauties-MED_p_963.html

 

You're right They are similar themes. They call them Chinese

 

Same seller, slightly different:



http://thytrading.com/Set-Of-4-Orie...-Wall-Art-Plaques-Four-Beauties-SM_p_961.html

 

I feeling a search term coming forth.

 

'Four beauties', but clearly seasonal.



https://www.solidrop.net/product/an...-face-painting-wall-decoration-ornaments.html

(scroll down)

 

I think we're getting somewhere. I think this is a depiction of the Four Beauties of Ancient China These were Xi Shi, Wang Zhaojun, Diaochan, and Yang Guifei.

 

They are now!

 

I think you have to have a screw loose first!

 

From good ol' Wikipedia:



So , for me, the new mystery is how has the convention in portraying them came to keep Yang Guifei & her flowers, Diaochan & her eclipsed moon, while introducing another who holds a stringed instrument, perhaps to indicate that her voice is more beautiful. In KBE's version, the remaining lady has both birds & presumably fish; in the other sets this one is variable. Sometimes this one seems to be holding yarn: soft as silk or as fine wool?

Guess it's similar to what happened with cameos over time: after a long period of consistent conventions for depicting various mythological figures, the traditional attributes became muddled & other elements crept in.

 

LOVE THEM ALL !!! ... Joy.

 

yes it is chinese,the chinese like to make this serial wall plaque based on season,i have one in my home but it's not 4 beauties it's chinese scenery serial.this looks like modern reproduction,but my guess it could be late 20th century.anyway,its beautiful!

 

They are really pretty and appealing!