Posted 12 years ago
Phatbuddha
(220 items)
A Chinese jade Picture of the 12 Signs of the zodiac
I think it's made to look old but I don't think it is. It's a nice big piece. Haven't got a clue what the writing says. if someone could Translate it I will take a better photo.
I am happy to translate it for you. The last image states at the bottom "Warring States period 475-221 BC 12 Animals of the Chinese Zodiac". The poor carvings of the 12 animals look like cartoon characters and far from the true skills of artisans in that era. I do not understand what you mean by "I think it's made to look old but I don't think it is". However, it is an obvious modern replica made to look old. Whatever jade or nephrite was used to arrive at the above end product, the material tends to be low grade and in abundance. Framing such modern reproductions and dating it back nearly 2500 years ago is merely a marketing gimmick. With the Taoism symbol in the middle, it is very likely a tourist and decorative piece, but definitely no antique.
Thanks for your info. That's what I tho :)
I also have this piece but with slightly different markings on each animal and mine had been removed from the backing at some point. I also found an ebay listing of the same piece asking for $1700 in the frame with a light to highlight the etchings, and yet another on imgED.com, both claiming to be quite antique.