Asianart.com | Associations | Articles | Exhibitions | Galleries


Visitors' Forum

Asian Art  Forums - Detail List
Asian Art Forums

Message Listing by Date:
Message Index | Back | Post a New Message | Search | Private Mail | FAQ
Subject:Anyone recognize this Chinese mark?
Posted By: Judith Sat, Jan 24, 2015 IP: 70.185.126.118

I found these two brass candelabras with this mark, does anyone recognize this mark, I mean besides the China part? Thanks.



Subject:Re: Anyone recognize this Chinese mark?
Posted By: rat Sat, Jan 24, 2015

seems pretty clearly to be an upside down 芳 character, which I only know of as used in girls' names. i'm not sure what relation it has to metalwork artisans.

Subject:Re: Anyone recognize this Chinese mark?
Posted By: Artemis93 Sun, Jan 25, 2015

Thanks for responding. What do you mean used in girls' names, like a character used with a girl's name to mean that the person is a girl or a character used as a title like Miss or Mrs? I don't know much about Asian languages so when you say that, I don't know what you mean.

Subject:Re: Anyone recognize this Chinese mark?
Posted By: rat Tue, Jan 27, 2015

Not a title. By itself it means "fragrant", and commonly appears in female names. An inexact English equivalent might be "Mae", which you might recognize in "Daisy Mae", "Sally Mae", etc. Or the word "Violet". On the one hand you know it refers to a flower or a color, but also is used as a female name. But just like seeing "Violet" on the bottom of a pewter wine vessel would make little sense, neither does 芳. presumably it's an abbreviation for some maker or other, or a mistake by a modern imitator. Or maybe someone more knowledgeable than me has a plausible explanation.


Asianart.com | Associations | Articles | Exhibitions | Galleries |