Sam Gitchel Family Collection Ming Dynasty Courtesan

Measurements: 10″ Height X 4-1/2″ Width X 1-1/2″ Depth

With the above two photographs of this exquisitely modeled Chinese, Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 CE) Courtesan Fine Lady, we have the final two photographs taken for this article, after all cleaning and examinations were completed. Having been verified over two two years ago and displayed during our 2009 Jade Art Now Show and last year’s Jade Through The Ages Show, we have decided to explain to the public just what most real old jade figures go through in the course of their long histories. These first two photos show this masterpiece of Ming-era carving after all cleaning has been finished – waxes removed, all old damage identified and re-repaired, and all three different ages of tooling marks identified and documented under microscopic conditions. It is when we read of pieces having “old polish” that makes us smile, when we can not figure out how anyone could tell “old polish” when a item is covered with wax. As you will see in this article (and as several people have told us they are afraid to do, because of what they might find after spending ‘good money’ on a piece of white jade with “old polish”), it is the only way to truly identify and correctly date waxed pieces using newer carving techniques (and almost all archaistic and archaic styles, as they have truly gotten so good at replicating, and dying the replications). Wax, while being one of the only coverings allowed on both nephrite jade and jadeite so that it can remain what is termed “Type A” (undyed and untreated), and still cover new tooling marks so they can not be seen by the naked eye, or even under a true 30 power loupe, is used to make the jade carvings shine more and cover up small imperfections which occur naturally in both jadeite and nephrite after the carving and final polishing stages. Polymers and centrifuged dyes and waxes would make a piece a “Type B” – ‘treated’ nephrite or jadeite. On the piece above, we have used what we feel is the best treatment for an old carving, a mixture of coconut and camellia oils, which allow the stone to “stay alive” and yet be cleaned off in minutes if a re-verification should ever be required. Though they are rarely thought of in this manner, both nephrite and jade are porous, and as such, absorb moisture and are similar to wood, in that they both need to be kept moist to stay in optimal stability. One white nephrite boulder we brought in from China weighed 78 pounds when it first arrived here in the desert. When we sold this boulder to Georg Schmerholz of Jade Fine Art two weeks later, it weighed 68 pounds after losing 10 lbs of water weight here in the dry Tucson desert heat. Obviously, we are not admirers of waxes on old pieces as they keep the old stones dry, and thus, more prone to fracture. The current oils on the wonderful Courtesan will be absorbed, and more coatings will be applied as needed, until it slows down its absorption – like the ‘old way’, pieces can be lovingly touched and cared for, and true, natural polishing will occur. [Note: The newer white tooling marks can easily be re-polished, using finer grits, by any competent nephrite jade carver, either in the US or China.]

In the three photographs above, we see full views of the Courtesan after we decided to do the article on this fine Chinese masterpiece of true period art. Upon initial verification over two years ago, we had very little time to soak the item in acetone and do a truly proper cleaning before it had its first showing. We did find the more recently broken-off piece from the back, as can be seen on the stand in photos one and two. We re-glued it and oiled it for its first showings, after verifying both the original tooling marks and newer tooling marks, as will be seen in additional photos. For this article, we felt a complete cleaning was in order, and it spent over a month in pure acetone to soften both the latest waxes (approximately 25-50 years ago) and the ones we believe were put on prior to this, in what was most likely late Qing Dynasty Era or the early Republic Period. After the waxes were softened sufficiently, we shot all of the remaining wax off with our power sprayer (powerful enough to cut through skin). Caution must be used while using this type of spray gun so one does not harm either oneself or ‘blow’ old degraded jade off a true old artifact. On this particular piece, the nephrite jade is of the finest Khotan-Hetian quality – extremely dense in its fibering, and as pure as Khotan jade gets. This quality of stone sells for in excess of of $100.00 per gram in China today; for the top artisans who carve it, it is worth the expense. The black lacquer repairs seen in the cracks will be explained as we proceed further into the article.

For those interested, Mr. Sam Gitchel of River Blossom Jade acquired the magnificent sculpture some 10 years ago, in a trade with an elderly Chinese man from California, for one of his phenomenal California Botryoidal Nephrite Jade specimens.With these first four close-up photographs above, several of the features that we will be examining in depth with the microscopic photographs are starting to be visible. The stylistic features of a true Ming Dynasty classic can be seen in all the photographs above — the lack of deep piercing to the subject, the thinness in depth (front to back thickness of material) of the Courtesan (similar to what we believe are Ming period Indo-China Jadeite pieces in our last article), and the fine treatment of Royal Court dress, but without the deeper detailing known especially in the 18Th Century. After the intensive cleaning this wonderful sculpture underwent, we see the white new tooling marks starting to show up in detail where it had been re-cut only (and not re-polished) the last time this piece was touched, and before the last wax was applied to obscure these newer tooling marks. This is very typical of more recently re-cut pieces, and also modern pieces made in the 18Th Century style. Remove the wax on a modern reproduction of a Qianlong era piece and this new, whiter tooling is all you will see in the grooves, especially in the finest of cuts. The great replicators know how to sand through the cuts in hair and other fine areas to make it look as if the piece were indeed old and worn by handling and cleaning over time, but at the edges of these sanded-through ‘worn’ areas, one will find the white tooling marks of modern tools extending right up to the intentionally worn-looking areas. However, on this magnificent piece, we see true old wear appearing along with the repairs that often accompany authentic old pieces, as real old pieces many times had to be moved  or buried during times of war, or withstood earthquakes, or were just subjected to the same things that happen today; risks of having them around children and dogs and etc. These factors are not ‘de-valuators’, but rather , in our opinion, authenticators – old pieces are old and show their age well.

All above photos taken with Canon EOS XSi using EF 24-70mm f/2.8L lens

The three photographs above were each taken to show differing aspects of what we will be going into, much more in depth, in the microscopic photos to follow. In the first photo, the lens was trained on the hair lines to begin to show how true natural wear appears (even though most – but not all – of these have been slightly re-cut at differing times). In the second photo above, we have a close-up picture of a once old-black- lacquer-stabilized crack that had been broken off entirely, and repaired in recent times using modern glue that dissolved within a day in the acetone; most likely, it was repaired around the time the last re-cutting was done, and the fragment is shown on the stand in some of the photos above. In the last picture above, we see two different types of old damage on the bottom of the Courtesan, with one being to the viewer’s extreme left; that piece, which was once lacquered on, has been lost for a long time, and its break surface has been worn smooth over time, and has the more botryoidal look an old nephrite jade fracture. The second damaged area occurs not only here in the bottom, as can be seen in the old black lacquer repaired cracks, but on other parts of the figure, as can be easily seen in many of the previous photographs.

All remaining photos taken with Canon EOS XSI at 10-20-30X microscopic power unless otherwise noted.

In the three above photographs, we are looking at the newest re-cut area of the flower on the necklace around the Courtesan figure’s neck. As you will see in following microscopic photos, these areas have most likely seen a past re-cutting, though not quite as deeply as were these last ones. This is extremely common on old figures, and should almost be considered the ‘rule’ when viewing old period pieces of jade. While there are always exceptions, and some 100% original items do exist, almost all truly old jades have had some degree of re-cutting and re-polishing. The reason for this is that nephrite jade (even being the ‘toughest’ stone) will still wear, and all old pieces received wear. It was common in the old days to not deeply cut grooves and designs, and even if items were pierced, the fine lines we see on the designs were never cut that deeply. So, we have wear from minor dusting over long periods, wear to toggles and jewelry from use, wear from fondling, and wear from degradation and tectonic movement in burials, etc. Wear on old artifacts is what one would expect to see. In the photographs above, the newest tooling marks, probably dating back to around the 1950′s, are rather crude and were done with a coarse abrasive, as it must have been planned to only heighten the effect of the design, while knowing that the new waxes would hide all indications of such re-working  (which they did). Other re-tooling was done at an earlier date but by someone with a much subtler touch and finer tooling knowledge. These second tooling marks were most likely done when the damaged jade figure was first fixed with the black lacquer. It is in the extreme whiteness of the marks in the photos above that we can see the newer work – new scratches look white no matter the color of the jade or jadeite being worked, and unless coated or polished away, will always appear white. With oiling and care and light polishing over time, even these scratches will disappear with wear (as the oils applied now have done, while still keeping the stone ‘alive’).

In the three photographs above, we are looking at a small portion at the top of the Courtesan’s belt, just above what would have been a jade ‘Bi’ style decoration. The black piece we see in the center of the first photo is where a small piece of jade had come off, most likely in the event which damaged the Courtesan. As we are looking through the photographs, we can start to see the tight fibering of the nephrite as previously described, and while it is not uncommon for even 2,000-year-old pieces to have had natural, minuscule cracks that have up-taken surrounding minerals from burial, and still remained intact, this Courtesan was, at one time, subjected to a huge amount of pressure in order for it to have shattered like it did. As described earlier, this figure was made from an extremely fine nephrite specimen, and while it could have had some natural, minute fissures from its long tumbling down either the White or Black Jade Rivers, it would not have had this type of pressure cracks and still been able to withstand the formation process, from boulder to finished work. Most of these cracks came long after the piece was finished, and from a source of blunt trauma to the bottom of the Courtesan. The nephrite itself shows almost no chatoyancy, and it could have had undetected layering from when the nephrite was first formed and then cooled. The fact that this stone took such heavy pressure damage, and did not shatter some of the finer detail work, attests to the remarkable quality of the original nephrite stone. To sustain such damage to the bottom portion, in my view, would be equivalent to someone dropping the figure from a five story building onto a solid rock surface. Despite whatever caused the damage that led to the need for the old lacquer repairs, the figure’s minute fractures have held together remarkably, and perhaps for as long as 500 years.

In the first picture above, we can also see the newest tooling marks easily as the whitish area just to the top of the replaced black piece, as we can in the re-grooved areas at the top of the belt. Two more interesting features which we can discern are the remains of the original Ming- period coarser grit marks (in the original grooving at the bottom of photo three), and the remnants of very old, clear wax in chipped-out areas around the black spot and other lacquer repairs in the lower left of the bottom photo. This old wax is most likely from the period of the Qing Dynasty when the Courtesan was first lightly re-cut and re-polished. This we will see in following microscopic photos showing only the fine details being re-cut, with no signs at all of re-polishing marks on the main portions of the figure.

In the above three photographs, we are looking at the old lacquer-glue stabilization to the cracked portion of a fold in the Courtesan’s dress that finally broke off completely in recent times, and was re-glued back on when we first received the figure for authentication. Old lacquer glues are never effected by acetone, or any other solvent we have ever tried. We have repaired this area (as can be seen in the second photo, at the beginning of this article) with Paleo Bond, and it is extremely secure, but can still be removed for examination. It would be our best observation that even this slight break took a blunt force trauma to finish breaking it the rest of the way, as it appears that the stone was still very secure by the way the break had occurred, and the fact that the old lacquer glue never penetrated the old crack very deeply, as it has in some of the other cracks on the bottom; in fact, some of the lacquer is missing from the deeper cracks, most likely due to long-time wear, popping out of the cracks (not from acetone cleaning, and not from abrasives).

In the three photographs above, we will start to see more of the true indicators of Ming Dynasty age, and the fibrous density of the grey/white Khotan-Hetian nephrite that held this masterpiece together through such trauma. The latest re-cutting marks do not appear on this portion of the fine hair lines at the top of the Courtesan. There are a few minor, recent re-cut marks to a couple of the fingers on this figure in an attempt to re-make some of her fingernails, but most of the fingers and hair marks were left alone. With the fingers, they were just too fine and worn to put new marks on, and the last person who worked on this marvelous piece lacked the skill of the ancients. In photo one above, we see true old wear and true “old polish”, in the fact that when these hair lines were re-cut, they were gently done in the old style, leaving the tips of the original Ming Dynasty marks untouched. Many true, old master restorers would always leave areas untouched for the real experts in China to know whether the piece they were touching was authentic. Chinese experts for thousands of years have been able to tell by touch and feel alone if a piece is authentic, and it is why it is said in China, “you must have touched a thousand real pieces to be an expert”. You can identify in the above photographs the approximate late Qing Dynasty re-cutting marks by their still-white appearance, and the original tooling marks by their much softer appearance. The Qing re-cuts are already starting to naturally polish out, but the Ming dynasty marks have aged (even though not fully polished out originally) with the rest of the stone. The tiny tips of the remaining hair lines are naturally polished out from wear over time. In the bottom two photographs above we can see at 20X and 30X microscopic power how one line was deep enough originally to not be considered necessary to re-groove; however, the line above must have been shallower to begin with, and needed a bit of re-cutting. We can also see how the older line has polished out more naturally, over centuries of handling and cleaning. The two different grooves, from both periods, would have looked very similar to begin with, but at different times.We find in this same general area with the hair lines, a wonderfully in-situ area showing what authentic Ming Dynasty wear should look like after 500 years as a revered item, not showing any signs of burial degradation. In the first photograph, taken at 10X microscopic power, we can still some of the later Qing Dynasty tooling marks where the whitened areas are, to the right of the photo. In the second and third photos (taken at higher magnifications), we see only the original Ming Dynasty tooling marks and all the natural wear that they have incurred over the centuries. It is in this area that we can see that the original period grooves were not as deep as those we find in modern pieces, using modern diamond cutting tools. The cuts are much softer and more rounded. This is why the later Qing masters would re-cut some of the grooves – to show the piece better – and why they re-cut and re-polished old burial jades, as old burial jade starts to look like river rocks from the degradation incurred from internment; in short, to make the stone shine again and bring out the details, while still leaving the original design intact. The pitting inside the groove of the partial hair line is as natural as it gets for an unburied Ming Dynasty original tooling mark – showing authentic wear and natural pitting of the nephrite from the salts and acids associated with touch from human hands. This piece has seen no acid-etching, no high-alkaline-etching, and no attempt at torching to make the Courtesan look old and degraded. It is truly old and has all the markings of an authentic, worn, revered item of the high aristocracy, in which even the damaged areas were repaired and revered, and if it could talk, what a story it could tell!

In the three photographs above, we are seeing two different types of black applications and two different periods of  tooling marks. The area photographed is an original drill hole in the finely carved ribbons, towards the viewer’s left side, bottom of the dress on this magnificent Courtesan figure. The black spot in the middle of this recently re-cut hole appears to be of the same type of black lacquer, still left over from the ancient repair that we see at the bottom of each photo, but it is not. The top black spot is part of the later Qing Dynasty restoration, which will be better explained in the three photographs to follow. The main aspect of these three photos is the extremely white new tooling marks from the recent (maybe 50 year old) re-cutting, and the original Ming Dynasty tooling marks, covered in the original black lacquer from when this exquisite figure was repaired hundreds of years ago. There is a marked difference, as can easily be seen, between the new re-cutting marks and the original deep grooves from the coarse grits used to drill this hole some 500 years ago. We can easily see the much more rounded grooves of an old original tooling method, worked slowly with the coarser grit material, under much slower drilling speeds. In the last re-cut, we can see they just missed this portion, but the method used for drilling was with coarse grits at a much higher speed. This is what has left the whitened tooling marks, and the more ‘shattered’ look to the nephrite surface. Both the black spot in the middle and the remaining Ming Dynasty marks are in deeper depressions and survived the new re-cutting.

In the three photographs above, we are looking at an area on the finely-made ‘feather fan’ the Courtesan is holding in her right hand. It is quite apparent under microscopic conditions that this area was re-grooved in the later Qing Dynasty, as can be seen easiest (by the newer whitish grooves of the feathers) in the first two photos at 10X and 20X respectively. The black in the horizontal groove just below the feather cuts is the same type of black paint that was shown in the last photographs above as the little black spot in the center of the drill hole. This was most likely an attempt at ‘artistic license’ to highlight the feathers of the fan and other areas of the Courtesan. It would have made a beautiful contrast to the originally black lacquered repairs, and helped to attract one’s eyes to the details of this fine sculpture, while averting them from the cracks and flaws, balancing the appearance of the figure. The black addition from the Qing Period proved to be very ‘fugitive’ however, and very little of it remains on the figure, with most of it on the fan. The black lacquer, however, has remained, as true black lacquer will, unless abraded away. It is in the last of the above photos that we can once again see an original, worn tooling mark of the Ming Dynasty period, in the tip of the feather to the viewer’s left, closest to where it almost meets the black-painted line (taken at 30X microscopic power). The nephritic structure of the jade can be easily defined, and the wear and pitting of the approximately 500 year-old original tooling marks can be readily identified.

The last four photographs are showing an original Ming Dynasty coarse drilling mark under 10X-20X-30X and 45X microscopic power in succession. Only in the first photograph can we see the recent re-cutting marks going around a depression in the design. Starting with photograph number two at 20X power, we see only the old natural degradation to a coarse-grit drilling mark that stood the test of time and remained visible after hundreds of years of wear and loving attention to this fine Ming Dynasty Period carving. The reason for the deeper groove in these last photos is that ‘damage zones’ were not really well-understood in the old carvers’ art. It is true that some periods (stretching back through China’s 10,000+ year illustrious history of carving nephrite jade) were more adept at carving and polishing of jades than others. Another fact is that some carvers were just better than others (as in all things human), and also sometimes a piece had to be finished more quickly than others because of an impending death, or some other time-related reason. However, ‘damage zones’ appear in almost all pieces, from all ages. This is due to the fact that when using the harder, coarser grits that it takes to abrade nephrite jade (the only way it can be worked), the heavier grits damage the micro-structure of the nephrite beneath the carving on a molecular and atomic level.  When a piece is worked in finer grits, these micro-damaged sub-surfaces appear to be polished, but are in fact not polished clear through the damaged areas. Many new artists understand this principle and will stop the heavier grits much sooner, and let the finer grits remove these damage zones. These damage zones were sometimes left in old carvings (more so in some periods and less in others), but they are the parts that always start to degrade first whether or not a piece has seen burial. This is what causes the pitted look in old tooling marks (along with acids and salts from human handling). Even in old Neolithic pieces, the reason why the tooling marks can often be seen is that they start degrading prior to  the smoother polished surfaces. In the photos above, we see a natural degradation occurring to an old Ming Dynasty tool mark; not faked and not replicated.

In closing, this magnificent Ming Dynasty Period Courtesan has certainly seen her day, and has gracefully withstood the test of time and massive trauma that even the most beloved of jadeites could never have tolerated; they would have been shattered to pieces. This is the reason the original “Stone of Heaven” will never be replaced, in the view of many of us, and why it was chosen for the backs of the most recent Olympic medals –  when dropped before the Chairman of The People’s Republic of China, the jadeite slab shattered and the nephrite jade just bounced.

David Fredericks  –  Yulongwei

Timeless Jade

Timeless Artifact

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Shamrock Collection

Nine White Jadeite Figures

From Indo-China 14th -19Th Century

Figure One Measurements: 14-1/2″ Height X 12″ Width X 5″ Depth

In this first close-up-showing of nine amazing White Jadeite Figures, originally acquired and shipped home to his mother in 1945 (inherited legally by the present owner who wishes to remain private, as he is of a quiet nature), before departing on a ship from Calcutta the same year by a now deceased former OSS agent working in the Burma theater, we find the oldest of the nine White Jadeite Figures. With the typical “Thai” style dress and the ‘breasted’ Guanyin, we find a very old stylistic piece we would estimate to be from the 14Th-15Th Century. With its large “Ming Dynasty” Style Crown and the general degradation to the original stone (even after re-polishing and re-waxing to hide old damage and repairs), this large Jadeite figure is truly a tour de’ force in this amazing collection. We have been authenticating this collection of Jadeite figures for over six months now, and they had their first display (see partial display) at our Jade Through The Ages show, and also here on Timeless Jade in our article about the show.

In this second photograph of Figure One, we find a tremendous amount of natural degradation to the outside of the original jadeite stone. This first figure was soaked in acetone for approximately two weeks, as it was covered in a thick type of wax (mixed with iron). We had not seen this type of wax before, but we had seen the iron coatings on reproduction chalcedony figures that had been sold on the internet, gold-gilt and made purposefully to look like old, gilded, iron-oxidated pieces. After an extended shooting of the piece with our high pressure water gun (which will put a hole through skin), we found after the initial removal of a great deal of the wax and iron, that this was a truly authentic and restored old Jadeite figure with some slight re-polishing and original degradation, along with a piece of the crown that had come unglued in the acetone. We reattached the broken piece of the crown (as will be seen in a following photograph). After the initial cleaning we felt it best to leave the rest of the coating on until further research as to its history and origin could be accomplished. One thing was fairly certain; the old wax was probably a bees-wax, as it has a smaller molecule than petroleum waxes. This thick wax has been on for an extended period and was used to hide the breaks and repairs. It had penetrated the naturally degraded jadeite so much that it was initially extremely difficult to remove.

In this third photo of Figure One, we see a close-up of an heavily degraded portion of the jadeite, with only minimal surface re-polishing. Most of the rough white surface area is degradation, and the reddish areas are where the wax and iron are still adhering to the surface. The bottom of the heel of the foot has had some light re-polishing, as have areas around the clothing decoration seen in the top portion of the photograph. The ‘crudeness’ of the initial carving adds to the veracity of its age at a time when jadeite was first being carved in the area of Indo-China, somewhere near present-day Myanmar and Thailand. During the time of World War II, the entire area between China and India was called Indo-China, and the general region of Myanmar, Thailand and the surrounding areas was collectively referred to as Burma. This was years before Burma or Thailand became countries of their own, after the war. All documentation, war records, and notarized statements from family members noting that these figures were in the United States, are available for viewing to qualified Government officials, researchers and marketing personnel. Along with all pertinent war documentation, marketing agreements, and departure documentation, we have scores of photographs of on-site locations showing bombed-out railroad bridges (both wooden and iron), air drops of supplies, officers in many uniforms, de-licing camps, refugee camps, city photographs where the resistance fighters lived, and much more. Anyone wishing to contribute information or assist in our research is asked to write to david@antiquitiesplus.com with qualifications and credentials.

In this fourth photo of Figure One, the original break to the “Ming Dynasty” style crown can be seen on the viewer’s top right. This portion came off in the acetone bath and was re-glued by us. It was a clean break and like almost all the breaks we have found on these jadeite figures (both cleaned and left as they were when we received them), they were most likely due to hurried removal and transportation as the Japanese forces were invading the area. Some slightly re-cut ‘hair’ lines can be seen in the above photograph, while at the top of the hair we find original tooling marks and natural degradation to the stone. While some people who have viewed the pieces believe they could be from Chinese Ancestral Temples (as the Chinese were known to have been in this area long ago), at the present, we believe they follow the family oral history passed along from the young OSS officer that they were Temple Shine figures from somewhere around the present-day River Kwai area which borders both Myanmar and Thailand. The family story has it that they were given to the young OSS officer when the resistance fighters got to their air-dropped supplies, before the Japanese could intercept them. While there are many Temple caves throughout the entire large area encompassed in this ‘war theater’, it is a known fact that the Japanese had gun emplacements in the Sacred temples along the River Kwai area. This does not necessarily mean for certain that they came from that area, and is the reason why we are trying to research the original photographs we have in our possession. This has been proving difficult due to the current strife in Thailand, and we have yet to receive an official response back to inquiries to their National archives. However, the natural degradation found on all the figures (the greater the age, the more the degradation) lends itself to a cave temple theory, as the leaching waters over the jadeite would be the most likely cause for the degradation found on the figures thus far.

Figure Two Measurements: 10-3/4″ Height X 12-1/4″ Width X 7-3/4″ Depth

In this first photo of Figure Two, we can definitely start to see the more “Chinese” influence that will follow in the remainder of the Figures. However, when showing them to a third-generation carver from the Myanmar area who attended our last Jade Through The Ages Show, she said the models for all the figures’ faces were, in her opinion, not Chinese, but rather that of the original local populace. Having taken these photographs in the position in which they are currently being shown, they are a bit out of ‘sync’ stylistically, as we would put this figure more towards the middle age group of the collective group. Still with heavy degradation after being initially cleaned, we find this particular figure more in style with the later part of the 15Th-16Th century, in terms of design. The fact that all the figures were built at different times is not in doubt at the present, as the stylistic changes bear this out, and some appear to even have been modeled after earlier ones.

In this second photo of Figure Two, we find portions of the old wax with iron still adhering to the hair, and especially to the base portion of the sculpture. Some of the cracks to the original jadeite figures appear to be older, and were perhaps caused from rocks falling inside a cave temple over the many years these pieces were worshipped. Some of the damage (as in the next photograph) was almost certainly caused by the hurried removal form their resting places, as would occur in times of war.

In this third photograph of the bottom of Figure Two, we see some of the major chipping to the jadeite from when it was forcibly removed from the spot where it had been secured. This photo is just a portion of the bottom, and many more areas of major chipping are to be found from the prying-off of the figure from its previous resting place. The ‘iron red’ on the bottom is still part of the wax and iron that was used to ‘cover’ these chipped-off areas. These areas proved to be a great place for us to identify the stone under microscopic conditions, and what was found was the extremely tight graining common to the finest of jadeites, and indeed all of the figures proved to be the purest jadeite we have ever tested. With no impurities to color and affect the stone, the heat- and cold-resistance measured was the highest ever registered for Burmese jadeite. It was in these areas of freshly chipped jadeite, with no waxes or oils to effect the testing, that we received the highest readings. We would welcome any unconvinced gem laboratories to test these stones, as their weight, feel, and density will bear out these conclusions.

Figure Three Measurements: 18-1/4″ Height X 11-1/2″ Width X 3-1/2″ Depth

In this third White Jadeite Figure, we are seeing what we believe to be one of the oldest “Chinese style” figures in the grouping. While showing a flowing Guanyin very typical of later Qing Dynasty styles with its overall design, the lack of depth and piercing would lead us to believe a more early 15Th-16Th Century dating is possible. From the three-clawed dragon at her feet to the details seen in the following pictures, we believe the dating should stand fairly firmly. However, in all fairness to its original creator, we are much more versed in Chinese design than in the design features from the Indo-China area.

In this second photograph, of the rear of Figure Three, we can see the lack of piercing; piercing is a design element that would be expected in a later piece. While the above figure and its accompanying subjects are showing detail, they lack the more refined detail of the later pieces in the grouping. That, coupled with the fact the degradation is much greater even on the re-polished surface, leads us to further suspect an earlier dating. This figure was only partially cleaned in the aforementioned manner, and much of the iron-rich wax still adheres in the crevices of the figure, and especially in the area of the waves and lotus blossom on the bottom.

The sweet serenity of the face in Figure Three can easily be seen in the above photograph, as special attention was given to the facial area on this piece. Some parts of the rest of the carving were not given this degree of original detail. Most of the white residue in this photo is the old wax, still  adhering to the degraded surface which has been re-polished. Some of the original wax can still be seen in the frontal hair area, in lines that were never re-cut. Also, as minute specks of gold gilding can be seen under microscopic conditions still adhering on most of the pieces, it is fairly safe to say that these figures were once gold-gilt, and perhaps jewel encrusted, as we have seen a recent replacement jadeite figure on a Thailand Temple website, which was highly ornate, with gold framing and encrusted jewels. It could easily be assumed that any gold gilding was removed from the figures during a time of extreme violence (such as WWII), as it could be more readily turned into cash and food for the starving populace, than the jadeite pieces themselves.

In this fourth photograph of Figure Three, we can see a lightly re-cut, original design in the ‘halo’ around the Guanyin’s face. There are still many areas in this design which appear to have been missed in the re-cutting and re-polishing process. Ming Dynasty period water wave patterns can be observed at the bottom. While these wave patterns have been copied in later periods, we do not believe that is the case with this particular figure.

Here in this fifth photograph of Figure Three, we can clearly see the lack of fine detail in the bottom portion of the piece. This is not the case in what we believe are the later figures. The three clawed water dragon, young boy, lotus flowers and buds, and the vase the Guanyin is holding, are most definitely Chinese motifs. Slight cracking of the jadeite can be seen on the front of the robe in this photo, as well as signs of the old wax still adhering, and degradation to the original stone.

Figure Four Measurements: 17″ Height X 9-3/4″ Width X 5-3/4″ Depth

In this massive White Jadeite Figure Four, we see what is perhaps a middle age piece of the grouping. This magnificent figure is in its original condition as shipped to us, and has not been cleaned in any way. The same type of clear thick wax on the figure tells us that it has most likely seen some re-polishing, with some minor re-cutting work undertaken in the past. Original degradation to the stone has occurred, but this figure is in remarkable condition for its age. As we plan a three-part series of true Macro-lens and microscopic photographs of all the figures (scheduled for this August and September), we will be able to go much more in depth on this wonderful sculpture, as well as on all of the figures, in our usual manner, showing both original and re-tooling marks, natural degradation, and re-polished areas.

Here in this wonderful close up photo of Figure Four, we can see the more rounded style face but with all the typical 16Th-17Th Century Chinese aspects of design and treatments to the hair, crown and Buddhistic flaming ‘halo’ in the background.

With the back of Figure Four being treated in such a plain manner, with no real obvious decoration, we feel it could be an indicator of a transitional piece, and may help date it to the aforementioned 16Th-17Th Century.

Figure Five Measurements: 15-1/4″ Height X 7-1/4″ Width X 3″ Depth

With the design elements in Figure Five we find many of the same virtues we found in Figure Three. Both pieces seem to be of an earlier period, perhaps dating to the same 15Th-16Th Century period. Many of the treatments are the same, such as the low relief, shallow depth, and light piercing of the figure. This figure is in its ‘as delivered’ state with all the waxes still remaining, but without the heavy iron mixed into the waxes, as seen on other figures. Much of the iron staining on this figure appears to be original; however, we will learn more as we go deeper under microscopic conditions. We have decided to leave the rest of the un-cleaned pieces in the condition they are now in, as we know they are all jadeite, and all authentic. We will leave their future owners to decide on just how they would like to see them finished and displayed.

In this beautifully portrayed facial view of Figure Three, we can again see the importance the artist placed on bringing attention to the most vital aspect of the figure – the serenity of the Guanyin. The bamboo in the background is not as well finished as the facial area, which was clearly the focal point.

In the rear view of Figure Five, we again see a rather plain but nicely carved scene of a bamboo grove. Not too deeply carved, and lightly pierced, this treatment and theme will repeat itself in the final figure of the grouping, but in much more detail and with the finer work expected from a later period carving.

Figure Six Measurements: 15″ Height X 4″ Width X 3-1/2″ Depth

In this frontal view of Figure Six, we start to see a later 17Th-18Th Century style of carving with this standing Guanyin Figure. While the piercing is not deep, we have more of the typical ‘total’ treatment to the sculpture, in that the folds of the dress, and indeed the entire figure, is more finely carved in the round. The waxes used on all these figures give the stone a more ‘grey’ look, when in fact the jade stones run in color from a “water” jadeite to “mutton fat” to a white/grey. This will be more clearly seen in the last figure, which is almost entirely cleaned.

With the more rounded facial features, we have been told the modeling was done off of Burma-Thailand faces, and perhaps that is the case. We believe that as we get closer to the figures’ place of origin and the temple or family shine in which they first resided, we will learn much more of who created them and, of course, the surrounding people. With the appearance in this figure of the ‘third eye’, we start to see design element not incorporated in the earlier figures.

The thumb and four fingers on the right hand had been broken and repaired prior to our receipt of Figure Six, and they most definitely were broken off while the figure was here in the US. The only treatment performed on this figure was the re-gluing of these digits, and all waxes and deposits are in ‘as received’ condition. The degradation to the stone from its original surroundings is minimal, and could date this piece even closer to the end of the 18Th Century.

In this rear view of Figure Six, we can again see the sculpture carved more symmetrically in ‘the round’. With attention being on the whole of the sculpture in both design and finish, we would again expect the later dating for this exquisite standing Guanyin. Some re-polishing appears to have taken place, and with the re-waxing, we would expect under further microscopic examination a more detailed look into the tooling techniques used, and then get a better estimation of the time spent in the temple, by comparative analysis with the other, older figures.

Figure Seven Measurements: 8-1/2″ Height X 16″ Width X 4-1/2″ Depth

With this lovely rendition of a reclining Guanyin in Figure Seven, we can again see the advancement in carving techniques over the older pieces in the collection. The depth of the treatment and lack of deep piercing would still lead us to an approximate 17Th-18Th Century dating for this figure. This wonderful sculpture is in “as received” condition, with all of the re-polishing and waxes extremely apparent (as will be seen). The ‘water’ jadeite to ‘mutton fat’ transition of the jadeite (or Yingyu as the Chinese call it) is stunning to view, and very minor old repairs have been noted.

In this close-up of the lower section, under the Guanyin’s necklace and arm, we can easily see the naturally degraded portion (in the white speckling) which was never touched when the figure was re-polished after years of being, most likely, in a cave temple, having water and minerals leaching over the jadeite figure. As with Khotan-Hetian nephrite (and indeed all jades), the stones degrade over time, and natural degradation does not have the same look under microscopic conditions as do acid and heat treatments.

The rear view of Figure Seven shows us the more advanced treatment to the lotus blossom background, and much of the original degradation to the jadeite can be seen here, as it was not as re-polished as was the front of the figure. The red stain in the upper middle is not the iron-wax mix we see on the older figures which were repaired and coated, but rather appears to be some type of natural staining inside the stone. In the coming three-partseries of in-depth articles, we will study this and many more details of the carvings under Macro and microscopic examination and photography.

Figure Eight Measurements: 15″ Height X 10″ Width X 5-1/2″ Depth

With this massive Figure Eight (weighing approximately 35 pounds), we see a treatment stylistically similar to that of Figure Four. The biggest difference, again, is in the depth and the refinement of the carving accomplished by the creator of this magnificent piece. It has remained in “as received” condition, with no cleaning treatments of any kind. With the deeper piercing and finer detail, we place this figure’s dating to approximately the late 18Th century.

In this close-up of the facial area on Figure Eight, we can most definitely see that more attention was paid to all aspects of the carving, including the fiery Buddhistic ‘halo’ around the Guanyin. This figure is the most grey/white of all the white jadeite figures, and shows signs of re-polishing and the same accompanying wax that all the figures have. The lack of deep degradation to the stone also tells us this is a much ‘younger’ figure than most of the others.

In this close-up of the right arm on Figure Eight, we can see an old repair to the wrist area, starting at the top of the bangle and running down toward the palm of the hand. The crack in the thumb area is not a repair, but rather either a natural break in the old stone, or was sustained during removal from its temple setting and subsequent transfer to another area. Under microscopic conditions, this crack does not appear to be new, as evidence of re-polishing efforts are visible on the surface of the crack.

In the overall treatment of the back of Figure Eight, we again see the attention to detail that is much lacking in Figure Four. The use of the natural ‘rind’ of the Jadeite on the mountain upon which the Guanyin is seated is also an indicator of a later carving. Impressive, massive and beautifully executed, this wonderful carving stands as one of the most dynamic figures in the grouping.

Figure Nine Measurements: 14-3/4″ Height X 9-3/4″ Width X 6″ Depth

In Figure Nine, we find the the most advanced carving of the grouping, with deep piercing and the least amount of degradation having occurred to the original white jadeite stone. This was the first of the figures we received to authenticate last December, and it was cleaned twice. The first cleaning involved soaking the figure in acetone for over three weeks, followed by an aggressive shooting with our water sprayer. The second cleaning was a one week soak in acetone, followed by another  shooting with our water sprayer. The result is what you see here, an extremely beautifully carved Guanyin, most likely modeled upon Figure Five but with all the refinements we would expect to see in a later carving. Therefore, we would date this last figure to the period of the early 19Th century.

This side view of Figure Nine better shows the depth of both the carving and the piercing, while retaining the similar subject matter of Figure Five. This piece has been the most microscopically studied of all the figures, to date, and even after its aggressive cleanings, it retains traces of the original gold gilding, still adhered to the  re-cut and re-polished jadeite. Under microscopic conditions, the minute remaining gold shows up extremely well, as does evidence that the figure was re-polished long ago. All the original fine carving lines were left untouched by the person who was responsible for its re-polishing, which leaves us with totally clean, original tooling marks that degraded naturally, and were either never worn away or degraded enough to need re-cutting. It is in these original, degraded tooling marks that we can best date the piece, as they are pitted from natural degradation and have never been re-touched. This shows us that time, weathering, and natural degradation wore at the original tooling marks, with absolutely no signs of re-cutting observed under high magnification.

In this rear view of Figure Nine, we again see the natural ‘rind’ of the jadeite being used as structure in the motif, and the much finer detail of the bamboo forest behind the Guanyin. These are all signs of a later date carving, but with the aforementioned degradation to the original tooling marks, we know it is not a ‘modern’ piece, by any means. What we have in these nine wonderful figures is a natural and lengthy progression of artistic representations of Buddhistic art unlike any we have ever seen in person or in print. Hidden away from public view for over 65 years, in boxes, basements, barns and under houses, it must certainly be time for their reappearence, and to once again take their place in a most Sacred and important manner.

Addendum: Dated 9-19-2010

With this new information received through the Freedom Of Information Act, we can now place with certainty Sgt. Young in the Southern Thailand – Siam area of operations. We hope the following information will help those who are doing research on the project, and we feel we now have fairly conclusive proof this man was, and should be, considered a true American hero, who helped all of the people of the region – including all mentioned in the letters, and the thousands of Chinese people who had been revered artisans and guests of the King of Siam since the Ming Dynasty period. During World War II, many Chinese were in the POW and forced labor camps also, and fought with the resistance during the war. As we now believe these marvelous figures could have been part of a Chinese Cave Temple Shine, it may help us in our search to assist the current owner of the collection in his desire to have the pieces returned to their rightful temple, whether Thai or Chinese.

We do not feel that the man described in these official documents was a thief of artifacts, but rather, a hero who was given gifts of appreciation from those he helped so much (as was passed down in the oral family history). Many entire families in the area of operations could literally owe their continued existence to this man, and if any grudges are currently harbored, they would certainly not be the grudges of the ancestors to whom these pieces belonged at one time. These are truly remarkable treasures with a unique history of their own, and should be revered for the sacred and unique objets d’art that they are.

Also, due to my current work load, a new major discovery we believe we have made in world of jade (being explained in current articles and future articles), my up-coming speaking engagement at the Big Sur Jade Festival, and being in the process of trying to heal two broken ribs, we are presently a bit behind schedule, but will get to the microscopic examination of these nine wonderful jadeite figures later this year. For those helping now with the research on these figures, we thank you all with utmost sincerity.

Please Note: We are the contracted, legal and only representatives of the Shamrock collection of Jadeite, Jade and other artifacts of the Orient. Anyone representing the pieces above does not have ANY authority from either the owner of the collection, or from us!

David Fredericks — Yulongwei

Timeless Jade

Timeless Artifact

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