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Subject:Stone Kui with carving.
Posted By: Victor Mon, Dec 15, 2014 IP: 86.136.245.211

Dear members,

I'd like to show this stone Kui 17CM TALL AND 6CM AT ITS WIDEST,which is carved with 7 stars on one side and a juvenile and adult Chilong on the other.

Unable to do a specific gravity test due to size as I only have an accurate 1 kilo jewellers scale.

I hesitate to call this Jade.

I was hoping that this could be a 19th c piece ?





Subject:Re: Stone Kui with carving.
Posted By: Victor Tue, Dec 16, 2014

It passes the scratch test with a metal blade and is translucent so I hope that it is in fact Nephrite.

Subject:Re: Stone Kui with carving.
Posted By: victor Tue, Dec 16, 2014

Some additional images.







Subject:Re: Stone Kui with carving.
Posted By: Victor Wed, Dec 17, 2014

This piece I came across in the Victoria and Albert Museum,25cm and the Constellation has been carved into the Nephrite rather than raised from abrasion of the surrounding area as in my piece.

This one is 19th c.

They use the word Gui and I've also seen Kuei.



Subject:Re: Stone Kui with carving.
Posted By: Bill H Thu, Dec 18, 2014

FYI, Gui & kuei, respectively, are the Mainland China pinyin and Taiwan Wade-Giles Romanizations of the pronunciation in Mandarin for the same two character variants (圭 & 珪) used for such jade tablets, which served ritual purposes and as symbols of authority. Gui were conferred by the emperor on feudal princes, and one of my references indicates their shape varied according to the rank of the recipient. Another notes that this same term is applied to the Neolithic stone tools which lent their forms to the various ritual gui.

Best regards,

Bill H.

Subject:Re: Stone Kui with carving.
Posted By: Ernest Wilhelm Wed, Dec 17, 2014

This looks really nice in picture #1, however in # 3 it shows that is has been worked with an electrical appliance.If it is the natural color is the other question.
Ernest

Subject:Re: Stone Kui with carving.
Posted By: Victor Thu, Dec 18, 2014

Dear Ernest,thank you for your reply.

The colour is natural,unstained and it is possible that electrical or hand rotary tools were used,which would be consistant with late 19th c into the post Qing Republic period.

In my continuing search I came across this piece with similar attributes from an American collector who died in the early 1960's.

There is a possible poem on it which may or may not help to give a tighter timescale.





Subject:Re: Stone Kui with carving.
Posted By: victor Thu, Dec 25, 2014

Dear all,

Coming back to this piece,do you think that it could be Agate as opposed to Nephrite ?

I need a larger scale to do a specific gravity test which would rule out one or the other.

Subject:Re: Stone Kui with carving.
Posted By: victor Wed, Dec 31, 2014

Ming Gui details.

Very shallow carving.

The closest match that I have so far found.








Subject:Re: Stone Kui with carving.
Posted By: Vic Thu, Nov 05, 2015

The piece is Nephrite,carved in late Qing but the original Gui could be older.

Apologies for late reply,

Vic


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