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Roland Himmler & Guat Cheng Poh

Chinese Seed Carvings

The Book's Table of Content

Wishes in Miniature

0 Introduction  01

 

1 History of Seed Carving    02 - 05

1.1 Ming / Qing Dynasty

1.3 The Themes of Carving
1.4 Location, Remuneration, Basic Requirements
1.5 Well known Carvers up to Qing Dynasty

2 The Way of Carving    06


 

3 Chinese Beliefs 07 - 


4 The Themes


4.1 Gods and Deities    09 - 23


4.2 Other Symbols    24 - 42



 

5 Overview 43

5.1 Comments on Pictures: Natural size    44

5.2 Comments on Pictures: Age, Color / Coloring    45

5.3 Use of carvings    46

5.4 Different Seeds / Same Design    47

5.5 Same Design / Differently carved    48

5.6 Similar Designs elsewhere    49 - 58

5.7 Quality of Carving    59 - 67


 

6 Design Groups    68

6.1 Animals      69 - 70

6.2 Boats      71 - 79

6.3 Perfume Bottles      80

6.4 Deities      81 - 84 

6.5 Erotic Scenes    85

6.6 Design with unknown meaning to us    86 - 87

6.7 Other Designs    88 - 96

6.8 Plants    97

6.9 Rosaries / Bracelets    98 - 111

6.10 Different Faces of Luohan    112

6.11 “Old” Beads”    113

6.12 “Expression” Rosary    114 - 117

6.13 Village Scenes / Countryside    118 - 121

6.14 Zodiac (Chinese)    122

 

7 Other Collections / Artists / Dealers    123
 

7.1 Royal Botanical Garden Kew – London, GB    124

7.2 H.Pinto – GB    125

7.3 Others    126 - 127 

7.4 Zhao Yutao,  Zigong / Sichuan - China    128

7.5 Han Zhiyao, Dalian / Liaoning - China     129

7.6 Yun Du village - China    130
 

8 Additional Information    131
 

8.1 Canarium pimela – ‘Chinese Olive    132

8.2 Other Seeds for Carving    133 - 135

8.3 Sources of Design    136 - 137 

8.4 The Instruments / Working Places    138

8.5 The Carving Process    139

8.6 How Wishes are Hidden    140



9 The Carvers and their Skill    141


9.1 “Producing” the same Piece of Art “twice”    142 - 143

9.2 Porcelain:  Using the same Motif / Design    144

9.3 Wood: “Blue print” and Copying    145 - 146

9.4 Jewelry: “Blue print” and Copying    147

9.5 Textile: “Blue print” and Manual Design    148

9.6 The skills of the Artists    149 - 150

9.7 Color by Aging    151

9.8 Writing on Olives: Poem or Name of Design    152 - 153

9.9 Writing on Olives: Signatures of Artists    154 - 156

9.10 Old Carvings without Signature (Beijing Area)    157 - 160

9.11 Present day Dealers / Carvers    161 - 162



10 Identifying / Comparing Artists    163


10.1 Same Motive    164 - 73

10.2 Different Artist / Different Styles    174
10.3 Internet : New Design / New Artists known to us (since 2008)    175 - 177

 

11 Prices / Pricing    178 - 183

 

12 Information Sources, Literature, Personal Communications 181 - 187

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