Vintage Chinese Stone Carved Pair man and Woman ?

I just bought these and have no idea what kind of stone (feels like a stone ) weighs a lot for the size (3.5 lbs each) but the intricate detailed carving on them is wonderful and would appreciate any help in the where, When and What of the pair. They have a small home in the top of each head (hat) incense? thank you! Palm Springs, CA

 

Can you please post a view of the bottoms? I suspect they are actually cast resin (an artificial plastic) rather than carved stone.

 

Hi Sky! Welcome to Antiquers!

 

Bases by SkyFullofStars posted Sep 19, 2018 at 11:48 AM

take a look. Maybe you are right. It is super heavy ….I had no idea a resin would be so heavy. but they are smooth. so worthless? for tourists you think?

 

I see others similar now as Emperor and Empress resin

 

I think resin as well. I would think these are tourist items or imported as decorator items. There is a market for these but are only worth their decorative value (what you would pay to own them in your home).
Don

 

Mr. & Mrs. Resin Casting.............

 

Yes, sorry. The semicircular marks on the bottom are made by the disc sander used to level the bottoms of the figures. The labels also look quite recent. There are lots of these misleading decorative items on the market now. That unnatural uniformity in the color can be a distinguishing feature. If they are solid they can be quite heavy, depending on the filler used in the mix. I have not been able to figure out when this started, though some sellers describe their figures as "vintage".

Here is an interesting video that explains how such resin figures are made:


I encountered one dealer who tried to make such reproductions seem more important by pronouncing it resín (with emphasis on the last syllable as if it were a French word).

 

thanks yes that is perhaps my thought now. I however cannot find any that are brown resin, only white of this very exact set. Chinese Emperor and Empress pair

 

https://www.etsy.com/listing/123637...arch_query=empress statue&ref=sr_gallery-1-19

There may have originally been finials on top of the hats, which have been broken off, leaving the holes. Most of the examples I have found show finials on top.

Another indication that these are resin reproductions is that they are cast in one piece with the bases. Traditional figures carved of ivory or stone would have been displayed on separate wooden bases.

 

they come in all shapes and sizes............there's thousands of em......