Topic: Chinese copies of antiques

[tropdevin]

I was at the recent paperweight event at Wheaton Village, and there was an exhibition of paperweights that included a number of examples of Chinese copies from the 1920s-1930s of antique American and French weights, each set alongside the genuine originals - fascinating. This item on offer now looks very like an attempt to copy a New England flower, but the outer cane garland looks very modern to me. Are there any modern pansy copies around? Or am I mistaking the date of this one?

Alan

[m1asmithw8s]

It's thoroughly modern and not all that uncommon. These come around on ebay with some regularity. The straight stem, paddle type leaves, and the canes all say modern Chi.

[RAINBOWGIRL]

This one very nearly screams modern Chinese. One clue is the scattershot, haphazard millefiori ring, indicating a lack of artistic control, and not much concern for what the item looks like in the end. It's all about cranking them out. And selling them for beans.

[alpha]

Check out the weights on this web site:

http://www.chunyanglight.com/showproduct.asp?cataid=24&mainid=3

[KevinH]

The catalogue details of weights in the site that "alpha" has linked to appear to be much the same as in my copy of a Zibo Zhaohai trade catalogue I received in 2000. In fact, there are some (many?) identical images, with only the reference codes changed.

For example, "Modern Flower Design 022" is exactly the same as the ZH1022 and ZH1023 images in the Zibo catalogue. Click here to view (top of front cover of catalogue included in the image for clarification of source). Also, "Modern Flower Design 016" in the linked site shows the same weight to left of the pair as in "022" - and that exact pair also appears on another page in the Zibo Zhaohai catalogue.

Perhaps "Zibo Zhaohai" has become "Ching Yan"??

In my image, you can also see that the lower two weights on that section of the page include, on the left, a flower design which is very much like the one Alan has referenced at the start of this thread. That design, with two leaves at the base of the stem and four leaves behind the flower head is seen in several examples in the Zibo catalogue. The treatment of the garland of canes and the details of the flower differ, but the design has clearly been a standard one for at least eight years.

These comments are provided for factual information and are not meant as any form of critique of the Chinese way of working or the quality of the products.