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Subject:Translation and possible dating of ink sticks
Posted By: Shea Thu, May 16, 2019 IP: 173.79.179.28 Hello all, |
Subject:Re: Translation and possible dating of ink sticks
Posted By: mikeoz Fri, May 17, 2019 It is very hard to judge how old these ink sticks are. The box looks as if it has been artificially aged, with lots of staining of cloth - possibly just with tea. |
Subject:Re: Translation and possible dating of ink sticks
Posted By: Shea Fri, May 17, 2019 Mikeoz, you were absolutely right. There are characters on the sides of the 3 sticks that do not have the inscription. These pictures are the best I could do. I tried adjusting color and contrast to make the characters stand out more. |
Subject:Re: Translation and possible dating of ink sticks
Posted By: rat Sat, May 18, 2019 I agree with Mikeoz, but thanks for the photos of the sides of the inksticks, which indicate that they are being portrayed as products of Hu Kaiwen, one of the better known inkmakers, who started in the late 18th century. The name is still used today but I don't know whether its use is licensed. On the front of the inksticks (the side with the ladies), appear three raised indicating that the women are all characters in China's most popular novel, 紅樓夢, translated into English as The Story of the Stone |
Subject:Re: Translation and possible dating of ink sticks
Posted By: Shea Sun, May 19, 2019 Thanks for the additional information, Rat. |
Subject:Re: Translation and possible dating of ink sticks
Posted By: rat Mon, May 20, 2019 The characters are the inkmaker's name and place (Anhui province); the inksticks are not dated but as Mikeoz suggested are almost certainly quite recently made but put in a distressed box to give the appearance of age. They are actual inksticks--you can grind them with water to get ink--but similar sets of inksticks can be purchased at flea markets and the like in China today. They are also not clearly examples of Hu Kaiwen's own designs (I don't see anything of the kind online when I google Hu Kaiwen and the content of the titleslip on your box). Rather they are sloppily executed copies of some pre-existing design. No need to take them on Antiques Roadshow or have them appraised. |
Subject:Re: Translation and possible dating of ink sticks
Posted By: Shea Tue, May 21, 2019 Thanks for the follow up response. |
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