Carved wooden Ginger jars ??? how would i clean them

Hi ..i have had these for a long time ..just dug them out , very dusty ..any idea on how to clean them ...i know its carved wood of some kind ....i know nothing about them

 

soft damp towel........

 

Thank you !

 

it's lovely !!!

 

would you know how old they are and what is the wood? i can only find cinnabar ones ...possibly discolored /????

 

I couldn’t find any wooden ones either but yours look a bit brown for cinnabar. That said you should be able to see layers in the carving if it’s cinnabar.

 

hi yes there are alot of layers ...thank you for that information ..i wonder why its a different color ...any idea on the marks on the bottom? or age?
Thank you

 

https://www.realorrepro.com/article/Cinnabar
This gives some good info.

 

All I can make out is the word CHINA on the base.

 

You might also use a soft bristle toothbrush to get in all the crevices.

 

Your jar looks like Chinese carved lacquer, although it is a less common color. Layers of lacquer are built up over a wooden form and then carved. The lacquer can be colored by different pigments - yellow from orpiment, blacks from carbon and iron oxides, and reds from natural mineral cinnabar (mercury sulphide), synthetic vermilion, and hematite (red iron oxide). It is a misnomer to refer to all such pieces as cinnabar, as technically that should only refer to the color produced by the mercury sulfide pigment.


https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/chinese-lacquer-ware-cinnabar-ginger-1839611705

https://www.metmuseum.org/exhibitio...t=5000–ca.,surfaces of sculptures and vessels.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carved_lacquer

 

Thank you all so much ..one more question any idea on the age ...i was researching and i am thinking between 1910 -1930?