South American Jade Mask

This was bought for $2 at an estate sale. It measures 6" tall. The estate was loaded with old items from several countries. I didn't think this was real when I bought it but I'm starting to wonder if it might be. I bought several author signed 1st edition books, a 18th century books, and several early 19th century books for 80 cents each at the same sale. Any thoughts as to age and origin of the mask is appreciated.

 

I don't know this area but of course that never stops me from commenting anyway. My gut feel is that it is a souvenir item. I don't think is made of good jade like this one, http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/i...l-use-8x17-3x5cm-from-stock-graphic/148356047 but yours may have been made based on the one at the link. Real antique ones don't seem have much of the long groove design elements carved into them. Here's a great one that's apparently well-documented. http://www.friendsofjade.org/storage/ms75.jpg.

Most of the really old ones I see online have signs of age or having been long-buried and I can't see any of that on yours.

 

I was going to say the same thing. Tourist piece, but a good one. The modern cheap junk is made from other things besides real jade.

 

It's a tourist piece , & I don't think that's jade.

The Mexican mask in jade recorded in 1620 in the collection of Don Antonio de Medici (1576-1621) shown in the engraving

 

Unless it's ceramic, it looks like maybe it's green marble?

 

I think this type of jade is called spinach jade. It looks most like pieces refered to as Olmec warrior mask. There a similar piece that sold on eBay for $500 and it appears that the orifices were carved in the same manner.

 

Probing the art market for fakes
If you were the one who forked over 18,500 euros for this exquisite Teotihuacan funerary mask at a recent auction by the Parisian auction house Binoche Renaud Giquello, the government of Mexico has news for you.

You bought a fake.

In a statement Monday, the government said it had determined that 22 of the 80 Mexican pieces that went up for auction June 14 in Paris were skillfully done reproductions. The fakes brought in 245,000 euros ($301,000 U.S.) – a pretty good haul for phony pieces.

The statement said that French and German authorities had permitted experts from the National Institute of Anthropology and History to study the auction lot first hand to check the provenance and examine authenticity. That’s when the Mexican experts determined that the lot contained fakes.

In addition to several funerary masks, the fakes included a Nayarit culture cup holder and figurine, a Zapotec urn, an Aztec skull crafted out of basalt, and a statuette from the Veracruz culture. Click here for the auction house catalog.

Like many countries with a rich archaeological heritage, Mexico is attempting to recover looted pieces and prevent the sale of relics smuggled out of the nation.

PS...
Here is an Olmec ......warriors mask....




Yours is more loosely based on the
Pre-Colombian Teotihuacan Civilization, 3rd-6th Century. mask in post #4 .....

 

Here is the piece I was referring to. It appears to have the same tool marks. http://www.ebay.com/ulk/itm/262045280487


Why is everyone assuming it isn't jade? Online, I see a ton of Mesoamerican jade this exact color.

 

I vested $2 minus 20%. Glad I wasn't one of the people in the $301,000 group, lol.

 

Here is the original owner of the estate. He had stuff from all over the world. I'm assuming some of the stuff was gifts and others might've been souvenirs that he purchased while on mission trips.

http://rollerfuneralhomes.com/mobile2/obituary.asp?locid=&id=25024

 

I bought a first edition Mark Twain for 80 cents too. And a unmarked copper Paul Revere bowl that might be from the colonial period.

 

Those sound like excellent buys.

I don't have any expertise, just thought the material in your mask looks a lot like the green marble in things like lamp bases. Doesn't mean that's what it is, though!

 

Seriously.....the ebay mask is made with a rotary drill, and was bought By some nutbag !!

I can say yours is nicer and I don't see drill marks or any similarities....

Go get $500 for it on ebay & I'll be the 1st one cheering for you......but it's still a newer tourist item.....jade or not !

 

hehehe-yes, agree this P.O.S. is worse than yours and still got bid to $500., you should definitely go into the jade mask biz

I'm guessing due to the obvious similarities yours came from same sweatshop or at least same town as this one. Image posted in accordance with doctrine of free use for educational purposes.

 

$500, going once, going twice, sold!!! I'd be thrilled.

It seems like carving and polishing a stone this hard would take some time or skill of some sort. I'm guessing a dremel tool is all it would take?

 

& a belt sander .....

Drill lines look like this......U
Blade lines look like..........V

 

If the fake that sold for 18500 euros pictured in Komo's post was carved from natural stone I'd be interested in it as a work of art no matter when it was made-would be tempted up to a couple of thousand anyway. If cast from something, no interest. Not sure how the fakers made that one if not carved. http://www.binoche-renaud-giquello....=&gsessionid=1C3E7AF18884985926E171178B549287

 

Same as a fake or forged masterpiece.....I'd be interested but only up to a fair market value......and described as such.

I can hardly draw a stick figure so I respect talent .....great talent......except when used for fraud !

 

Not intended as a comment on this piece, but I find the subject of fakes and fakery to be endlessly interesting.....note my nickname.

In the NW Coast Native areas with which I am most familiar it is common to find hand-carved items in wood and also stone; often thought to be genuine because of the amount of work involved.
But labor is very cheap in many parts of the world; and it is cost-effective in Indonesia, as one example, to have a huge cottage industry churning out hand-carved wooden masks and hand-carved bone fetishes. By the thousands.
A resident of Vancouver BC has for years been making hand-carved stone masks in imitation of NW Native styles, so these appear on ebay as genuine old artifacts.
I'd venture that there is no area of collecting so obscure that it is immune from fakery. I've heard there are fake antique Mason jars being made for those who collect them......I'd never have guessed that was profitable.
And as far as provenance, of course it is common to see ebay listings that appear to assume that those who "traveled extensively in the 30s and 40s" never bought anything after that time, and were never given reproductions as gifts by well-meaning family or friends.
Not to mention dealers who appear to have bought entire estates consisting only of fakes.
Just venting, sorry.......

 

Oh, please vent........I could join in all day long !!!

I now have over 1500 pics of Indonesian copies of NWC Indian carvings, & some newer Iroquois masks , fetish carvings, etc, etc...

Some with labels, some signed, some from fine auction houses , some from known collections, some with authentication !!.....and the list goes on.

Maybe Steve...we should start a tribal thread here & list off our concerns .....I mean the new scam is calling these fakes ...antiques.....cuz lots are now being produced specially to fool collectors.......make that would be collectors !!!