Description
These were given to me by a friend. I have no idea where/how he acquired them & he provided no information. These are a set of 4 pictures total - 2 are oval & 2 are square. They are beautiful, colorful & very detailed.
Category
Asian Art
Medium
The frames and main body are made of wood- painted a high gloss black. The actual artwork is intricately carved out of (I'm guessing here....) mother of pearl or abalone. (?) The carvings are not one piece- numerous pieces make up the whole picture.
Distinguishing marks
None visible.
Condition
Excellent
Size and dimensions of this item
16" X 42"
Date Period
Unknown
Weight
appx. 6 lbs each.
History
I have no history.
eBay Auction Link
Price Paid (If known)
Unknown
For Sale?
Yes
Photos
Re: Oriental Carved Pictures
These are some very cool pieces, they look to be mother of pearl (dyed in places), Ivory, and Brass (Some very nice examples are inlaid with gold, but I doubt pieces this large would be) inlay. They are probably made for export, at some point within the last century. Most earlier pieces, and pieces by famous makers have a signature within an inlaid cartouche. I would think the value would be in the $200-300 range per pair, but it's hard to tell for sure from a picture, and examples can range from around $50 up to several thousands of dollars, depending on age, materials, and the maker (if that can be determined). I would definitely recommend having it appraised by an expert in asian art just to be sure.
Re: Oriental Carved Pictures
Hey SuperKing- thanks for the comment! I openly admit to being clueless when it comes to fine art- especially pertaining to asian art. So, I have a few questions I'm hoping you can answer. First, I'm curious to know- could you tell from the pics which culture they identify with- chinese or japanese? As for the signature, I would love to look on the "cartouche" - If I knew what or where that was.... Obtaining an appraisal from an Asian Art Expert sounds like a very good suggestion. Where does one find an Expert in the Asian Arts....? How much should one expect to pay for this type of apprasial? I live in Cali- SF bay area. Any recommendations? Do you think it's wiser to list them with an auction house- or do it myself on ebay? I have several additional pieces that I'm probably going to post here in the next day or so- maybe you could take a peek & tell me what you think? i.e., Imari platters; Arita bowls & plate sets; an etching of (I think) Notre Dam by artist (another guess) James Brewer; a coverd soup bowl made in Italy of porcelain bareing the "Crown Royal" signature & marks and also a handmade Russian Crystal decanter with flawless gold leaf design. Again, I thank you for your input & for sharing your knowledge of my piece(s). As you can tell- this is all very new to me. I hope you can take another minute to get back to me with any aditional information and/or suggestions! *G*
Re: Oriental Carved Pictures
No problem, just glad to be of some help. As for your questions, I'm not sure where you would want to go for an appraisal, but Appraisers Assoc. of America website has a HUGE list of reputable appraisers all over the country, you can probably find one there that will help you, as for what it's going to cost you that's hard to tell, some appraisers will evaluate an item for free unless you need a written appraisal, while others charge a flat fee, I would think around $75- $150 is about what you should expect to pay. I'm not sure whether they'd be japanese or chinese, it's hard to tell from a picture, but I think possibly chinese. A cartouche is a small box or oval that they put a signature inside of, they're a common feature of egyptian and asian artifacts (there isn't one on your pieces, if there were it would most likely be on the front of the piece, prominently displayed, usually located near the bottom of the piece as with most artist signatures). And as to your question about whether to sell them yourself on ebay or take them to a major auction house, I'd say that probably depends on the value of the pieces, obviously if they're only worth a couple hundred dollars apiece it probably would be best to sell yourself, but if they are high-dollar items you may get more by taking it to a major auction house... Good luck!