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Subject:Re: Bronze Buddha, help with any information
Posted By: Suzume Mon, Mar 08, 2021
Hi,
The big problem with this sort of piece is the volume of fakes produced. It's probably fair to say that where Chinese art is concerned, fakes outnumber authentic pieces by at least a hundred to one, honestly these days I'd probably say closer to one in a thousand.
Bronzes are very easy to produce and fake as essentially, they're made in a mold and can be treated with acid, etc. to create patina. Bronze doesn't "rust" it turns darker and eventually green (verdigris). Now, a little over 300 years (which is when the Yōngzhèng period was roughly) of the statue being stored indoors wouldn't turn it green assuming it was stored properly that tends to happen when they're exposed to the elements or buried for a long time. Today, most of these pieces are dipped in acid to make them look that old. So actually, patina wise your statue's probably okay.
However some of the more worrying signs can be found in the casting. It's actually quite poor. I mean no offense by this but you see the pitting and holes? These are caused by problems with a mold (where the bronze is poured into) usually through tiny scratches or air bubbles which prevent the metal from getting into all of the crevices. Now of course, this could happen 300 years ago however, usually for a piece like this (especially bearing such an illustrious mark) they would have been using the very best molds and you would have had a smooth surface.
Stylistically, if you look at other Qing period Buddhas there are also some questions to be raised.
None of this detracts from the decorative appeal of course.
A few things which would help in ascertaining authenticity (I'm not enough of an expect to pronounce with any certainty) are who you bought it from. If they're a famous and highly regarded dealer then it's unlikely they'd be trading in fakes. Also wear, for a statue like this a lot of that would be found under the base.
I hope this helps,
Regards,
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