I have a interesting mystery I would love some help solving...My first question is how would one verify age of a soapstone carving....My story starts 30 years ago in Massachucettes My brother in and father in law were in the business of reclaiming antique wood they had purchased a barn that was 300 years old as they were dissembling this barn they found built into the walls of the barn... this a statue which I came to learn was a libation vase or a "Libation cup of Gudea" when they found it their thought was that it must have been there the whole time and that it wasn't a secret compartment but more or less part of the structure itself.... Since the early 80's i have had this vase my brother in law sold it to me because his mother did not want it in their house...I have contacted many replica manufactures and i have a hand written letter from the 80's of a expert on this item as far as replicas go and him along with 4 other replicators all say that I have a nice little mystery on my hands...other research i have done was that this libation cup was a must have in ancient times in Sumeria.... priest used it for healing with oils and it was also used for sacrificial reasons to the Pagan nimrod...I would love any info on how i can have this item tested for age...i will post a few photos shortly
From the discussion thread linked below- which it appears you may have already visited - there are multiple copies of this item in existence. To me, that argues against it being old or valuable; while one may guess as to how it came to be inside a barn wall, it is more likely that a relatively modern item came to seem like it was built-in, than to imagine a chain of events that would lead to an artifact thousands of years old being in that location. In other words, the mystery is how a replica came to be where it was found..... but that is just my opinion. http://www.instappraisal.com/appraisal/gudea-libation-cup-caduceus
it appears the replicas are or were made by Alva Museum Replicas, a well-known manufacturer of souvenir items. Their items may appear to be carved from stone, but are not. Compare your item to http://www.ebay.ph/itm/DRAGON-CUP-O...-Chalice-2100-BC-museum-replica-/221322433106 If it looks like a replica, it is probably a replica, regardless of where it was found.
