Hi Dietrich
- & 2. is all right. 3. need modification.
1. White residue on jade sculptures should not be used as age indicator because it can be artificially created.
2. During the course of Chinese history, the style of art objects changed. However, styles can be copied and are, therefore, not reliable indicators for the age of jade sculptures.
3. Carving methods and tools have evolved. Craftsmen use the tools of their time against modern tool are quite different. In addition, it is necessary to study of Chinese history in jade carving.
The best part of education is through archeological work. When the
tombs of an emperor or his subject were just discovered, the expert
will be there to evaluate the many other artifact besides jade. They
have to take note of arrangement or positioning of the jade object
next to the emperor / subjects; type of jade material (it could be
stone object too); the extend of preservation; jade in relation to
other artifact; the size, colour, type and style of jade carving;
and many more interesting need to be recorded. Through
this exercise of cataloging, the expert will know just by looking the
jade object that it belongs Ching, Han, Song dynasty, etc. I am
still learning anyway and this is just a small part of the learning.
Regards,
Tay