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Help in identifying vase

by Catherine
(Burlington, Ontario,CA)

Hello.

First, let me say how much I appreciate your help.

I purchased this vase as I was attracted to the carved look but I really know nothing about it. I would welcome your opinion and comments on this vase. I'm not sure what the material is that the carving was done in, and I have no idea of its age. 21.75" inches tall.

Cheers,
Catherine

Comments for Help in identifying vase

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One Last Question for Peter
by: Catherine

Hello, Peter.

Thank you for your further comments. I have searched extensively on the internet for a similar vase and have not found one that is as large as mine, nor with as much intricate detail. I am now convinced that this is some type of resin but not Cinnabar and that the vase is old. Would you kindly offer an opinion as to value as I think I might put this up for sale. Again, I cannot thank you enough for your continued assistance.

Cheers,
Catherine

Catherine, we do not talk about values here. Please read "Value of Antiques" in the menu bar. Price depends on many factors and a valuation is out of the scope of this site.
P
carved vase
by: peter

Hi, Catherine. I had a look at the pictures. I agree that it appears to be old, but I don't know enough to tell how old it could be.
One thing is for sure, however. It cannot be porcelain. Porcelain cannot be carved that way. That can easily be confirmed by trying to insert a needle at an inconspicuous place. With porcelain it would not go in. If it does not go in, the needle should be heated to see if the material melts. These treatment does not affect porcelain as it is fired at far over 1000 degree Celsius.

The carving is of a similar style as that used on "cinnabar vases". You will find many similar items as yours, mostly in red, if you do an image search online for this. Red is the common color, but some are white. Basically, those vases are made of lacquer, which is produced from the sap of the Chinese Lacquer Tree. The cinnabar is a mineral that seems to have been mixed in for the color. The white ones may just use lacquer with some other coloring agent. The result is a material that is soft enough to allow for carvings of the type seen on your vase. This is a traditional Chinese craft.
You can find information on the "Chinese lacquer tree" at Wikipedia.
Pictures that I hope Peter can review
by: Catherine

Hello, Peter.

I was not able to upload detailed pictures at the time I posted this message. I have since taken quite a number of photos and I wondered if you might have a look at them. I'm convinced this is not a resin vase. Each panel/side has a top, middle and bottom carving and each one is unique. There was a full felt liner on the base which I removed. There are no markings and it is very dirty. I tried to clean a couple of the carved images but I didn’t want to continue without having a further idea what this vase is. I would welcome any additional comments you might be able to offer. I posted the images to my PhotoBucket account.

s1115.beta.photobucket.com/user/hotcat2/library/#/user/hotcat2/library/?&_suid=135757934938108527155595790461


Many thanks for all your help.
vase material
by: peter

Catherine,
I couldn't tell you which it is. I have seen white lacquer items only in photographs. Basically, lacquer is also a resin, but it is natural, taken from the lacquer tree. With resin I meant a synthetic or man-made material. Their characteristics for carving will be similar, as they will have similar hardness. It really takes experience to tell them apart, I think. Did they not tell what it is at the auction? I would expect they would it is a carved lacquer vase, if it were lacquer. They might avoid telling that if they were not sure or thought it was an artificial resin. You could try to ask an antique dealer. Some might be able to tell as they have likely seen such items before. The carving work looks excellent by the way, in this picture.
vase
by: Angie

i also have one just like this but was turned into a lamp (by an unknown) i was told that mine is made up of resin (as peter suggested). you may be able to find these at an online auction for more information. good luck!
Thank You
by: Catherine

Thank you very much, Peter. Is there a relatively easy way to tell resin from lacquer or is this something for the experts? This vase was in an auction with NO RESERVE and was given fairly prominent featuring. However, the auction was not well attended and had more collectible toy items so there was very low interest. Thanks again for your help.
vase
by: peter

Hello Catherine,

I cannot help you much with this, I'm afraid. The carving style looks the same as used with lacquer carvings, but white color is rare. Chinese lacquer ware is mostly red, and to a lesser degree black, but white is quite rare. The chance that it is resin or some other artificial material is higher. This would need a hands on inspection to evaluate what material it is.

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