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I recently bought this foot tall pair of Chinese biscuit-painted famille verte porcelain hawk models at an estate sale and am trying to get a better fix on their date of manufacture. Despite a month of digging through auction results, only one other matching pair turned up. Those had been made into lamps and appeared to have suffered a bit in the process. However, the auction price was still over US$1000. This pair has fared better, with just a couple of losses around the bases, a few kiln flaws and some wear to the decorative enamels on the wings.

As to potting and decoration, each of these birds was press-molded in two halves and luted together from the inside. The beaks were molded, shaped and attached separately. On one of them, the luting seam opened slightly, perhaps during drying or a pre-firing. There was an apparent attempt to seal it with some of the green glaze, before both models were given a smooth coating of slip, followed by application of the famille verte enamels to the wings, back and heads, as well as small dabs of a probable iron brown pigment to simulate feathers on the biscuit breasts. As can be seen. the attempt to conceal the luting line was unsuccessful.

My initial thought regarding age is circa the late Tongzhi-early Guangxu era. If the models were made at Jingdezhen, some of their rough edges could be explained away as technical problems experienced during recovery from the Taiping Rebellion. On the other hand, While they 'clink' like they may be hard paste, the color of the biscuit fired to a toasty look that also reminds of the Shiwan kilns in the Guangzhou suburbs.

This also is the first time I'm trying to use an online link (pasted below) to post pictures on the forum, so bear with me if it's a flop.

Thanks and best regards,

Bill H.

http://1drv.ms/1EsKxxZ

Forgot to mention that these hawks both have "CHINA" marks, albeit fragmentary ones that were applied to the inside of the models by stamp in impermanent ink as opposed to the mark being fired onto the piece in an iron red pigment at the kiln. This was a fairly common practice employed in the early years after 1890 to accommodate the legal export from China of articles such as these ceramics and all sorts of other antiques that antedated the American requirement for point of origin markings on imports. I've seen such marks painted, stamped and scratched onto everything from Ming Buddhas to pre-1890 Guangxu porcelains. So the marks on these models do not serve as a clue to their date of manufacture, except to indicate that it was before 1890.

Thanks and best regards,

Bill H.

Tried unsuccessfully. Sorry. To my very untrained eye, pictures seemed similar to other animal figures listed as Shiwan. Good luck.

I value your comments. I agree that the figurines are quite similar to older Shiwan models. Did you have trouble with the pictures?

Thanks,

Bill H.

They are very nice. It always brings a good feeling to find a little treasure at an estate sale for small money. Link and pictures works fine for me. Now i wonder, would you want to post the link for those made into lamps, that sold for over $1000?

Here's the link to the lamped hawks that sold for US$1200.

Also FYI for Chris, your information is absolutely correct for permanent markings fired onto ceramics at the kiln during the cited time-frame. However, during the same period, exported items which were made in China before the markings were required were given markings applied by hand, and in the case of the hawk models, using a stamp with impermanent red ink. I tested these marks using a swab dipped in solvent, which showed that the ink dissolved, something that wouldn't happen with a fired-on mark in iron-red pigment.

below are views of such a mark on an early 19th century or prior bronze mythical beast resembling a Qilin. A mark of "CHINA MADE" has been laboriously hand-painted in red lacquer to the inside edge of the casting beneath the haunches. The lacquer has begin to flake off.

Best regards,

Bill H.



URL Title :Lamped Hawk Models

my research indicates that these red single word "China" mark was between 1890 - 1920. So, Guangxu or Xuantong period. Later there started to have more words, e.g. Made in China, initially written in 3 rows, then 2 rows, then finally one row.

You probably already saw these hawk figures. But, thought I would pass the link along. It came up while I was searching for something else. I am not familiar with the site.

http://www.alaintruong.com/tag/hawk/

Thanks, I believe I came across that pair when looking at hawks in the Sotheby's archive. They're more evenly painted than mine, which are still only the second pair I've found in traditional Kangxi-style biscuit-painted famille verte colors.

Much obliged,

Bill H.

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