Help needed on Chinese lions/fu dogs

Hi I picked up some Chinese style lions today, they are around 10cm tall and feel very heavy for the size. They sound kind of glass/stone like when you tap them together and a hot pin doesn't melt into it (testing for resin) they don't seem to be hard stone though due to when I scratch the bottom with a knife it creates a white dust. They seem to have a coat of dark green which rubs off slightly then they are lighter green underneath. Would just like to know what they are made of and if they are valuable. Also they look like they are hand carved as both aren't exactly identical as seen in the pictures.

 

That looks like a type of soapstone.

 

I see, guessing no value then other than them looking nice ?

 

I think they're a fairly recent production. As they say, "decorative value only." But, who knows?

 

Yes that seems like what they are, not sure what the "20" means on the bottom.

 

Hi,
These have the paw on a ball, they are both males not a pair. The female ones have a paw on a baby "dog". Although they are called "dogs" they are really lions.
greg

 

Ah right thanks for the info, they are on eBay now, 3 day auction to see how they do

 

I assume these two "lions" were actually made of marbles but painted with a green coat to render them a feel of expensive "Jasper" (green Hetian jade). While I am basically a Chinese language expert, I got some experience with these "precious" stones. This pair of lions are obviously not made with those precious materials.

But no worries, who said you can't pick a pair of marble carvings for decoration? As long as they don't charge you a price for real jade...

Cheers!

 

Two thoughts:
1) When scratched, soapstone does yield a white powder (talcum powder is, or at least used to be, made in part from ground-up soapstone).
2) There is a casting process in common use, where the item is cast in "Hydrostone" (a kind of plaster; still used under that name in model railroading) and then given a thin top-coat of resin; this yields a hard glossy finish, and produces a color often mistaken for carved stone. Such castings do not respond to a hot-pin test; and they also produce a white powder when scratched. The distinguishing feature of these castings is that the items will be identical; they may also show tiny bubbles or other artifacts from the casting process, though these can be obscured by the coat of resin.
The marks on the bottom of your two pieces do not appear to be identical, but they are left and right versions, and would not be identical even if made by a casting process; a casting company would be using different molds for the left and right versions. Close examination may tell whether they are carved or cast; but it is very common for people who are unfamiliar with these cast items to mistake them for stone.
I've even met a buyer who was was absolutely convinced that his item was carved argillite, even though it bore the logo of a casting company.