Ladies & Gentlemen: A Conundrum: Antique or Forgery?

Isn’t this a lovely example of a Han dynasty cocoon vase? Might be one of the most attractive examples I’ve seen – and in the past few days I’ve looked at virtually every one available on the internet. The material is the usual grey ceramic and the form is perfect, the residual pattern and colors are lovely, and there are no cracks or chips. All things considered, a gem of a piece from circa 200 B.C.E.- 220A.D.

The only problem with it is that testing reveals that it was last fired in 1890 +/- 320 years, making it most likely a Ming or Qing Dynasty piece. Fascinating that the Chinese of the time perceived a market for Han antique forgeries. Were they meant to be sold to newly wealthy Chinese clients who could afford antiques or were they meant to be sold to western buyers?

Here’s the conundrum. The piece is a forgery or perhaps we should call it a reproduction, except that it was sold to it’s current owner as a Han cocoon jar.

At this point in time, it’s old enough to be an antique. Not a Han antique, but still an antique. It has intrinsic value as an antique, but not the value of a Ming or Qing vase and certainly not the lesser value of a Han jar.

This is a puzzle that I’d love to flesh out. If anyone can add knowledge, we’ll include it for our mutual enlightenment.

Dr. Jorge-Luis Maeso Madronero at Skylight Gallery NYC

There’s very little as interesting as watching the creative process in action. It doesn’t matter if you’re talking about astrophysics or art, the process whereby something new and inventive emerges is simply fascinating. Luckily for all of us, Dr. Maeso’s current exhibit at Skylight provides a window into this process.

You wouldn’t know it from his name, but Dr. Maeso is a German painter, one of a group of five close friends, all artists, who live in close proximity and who work influences each other. His parents moved the family from Spain to Germany in the early 1950’s; he is the proud product of both cultures.

Normally, he works in traditional methods and media, oil or acrylic on canvas. One day, he had a brainstorm. What would be the results if he tried working in pure pigment? The issues: how to make the pigment adhere, how to create texture, how to create depth? Time to experiment.

As he described it to us, here is the process. First, he puts a layer of adhesive as a ground. Then he shakes, pours, tosses the powdered pigment onto the adhesive surface. But that’s not nuanced enough so then he sprays water onto his painting and moves it around to see how the water runs off and affects the pigmented areas. Better – more interesting but adhesion can still be a problem on some pieces. What’s the best way to make something stick to glue – add weight, of course. In this case, Dr. Maeso turns the pieces over and walks on them! Every step in the process is a discovery.

The results are glorious, superb paintings with color, texture and dimensions you’ll see if you’re lucky enough to see this show before it closes at the end of August. Here are nuances to look for:

The black painting entitled Oscuro was influenced by Caravaggio who used darkness to create light.

In the orange painting, Gitana, the brilliant cobalt provides dimension because the pigment adhered as nodules and didn’t diffuse into the base color.

The green painting, entitled Mosque, continues the theme of darkness leading to light in a peaceful way while the blue painting, entitled Mar, uses darkness in a somewhat bleak way.

Dr. Maeso’s creative experiment is a success; each of these paintings is superb in its own right. As a group, they are powerful and simply excellent.

Alas, he is now returning to traditional methods having done 20 of these pigment paintings.

But do try to see the originals. It’s well worth your time. Skylight Gallery is on W29 St. between 10tth and 11th Avenues.