Welcome to my Zoo

I think the smaller ones might be Unakite.
The bird is stunning.

Thank you. The carving on that piece blew me away when I considered it was crafted from a single block, or could have been a thick slab. Any guess as to what the bird is made of? I never got an answer from the sales people so I am guessing it may be mottled jade but could be some other type of stone. It is very cold to the touch though which is a general indicator it may be jade.

 Anyway it really doesn't matter, it's the image that is stunning and the fine detail of the carving that make it an interesting piece.

Update, fernwood, just as an aside: the carving skills of the Chinese masters is phenomenal. Here is an example of what they can achieve. This is a two and a half inch diameter ball of ivory with several balls carved on the inside.  Can you see them?  Let me know how many balls you can count. Oh, and the balls move. Cheers, johnw

Hi rocks2dust. I understand the 'old ones" where made of ivory and fabricated as described here:

The sphere was turned on a lathe then conical holes were drilled towards the center. The maker has a set of "L" shaped tools: the one with the longest upright has the shortest cutter, and the one with the shortest upright has the longest cutter.

Starting with the longest tool he lowers it to the narrow bottom of each hole in turn and rotates it to cut the innermost ball free. Then he gets the second tool which does not reach so far down the hole but can cut a wider arc and separates the second ball. He continues working from the innermost to outermost shell. For obvious reasons, usually only the outermost balls are elaborately carved.

The one I have has 14 conical holes drilled into the center. So with the basic knowledge provided above, I can see how easier it would be to cut away the remaining solid sections of ivory.

In the early times coordinating the depth of drilling of the conical holes would have been the challenge given "lathes" they had were made of wood and powered by a persons foot.

Fast forward to current times  using a modern lathe, for which the depths of conical hole drilling can be controlled within fractions of a millimeter, it just becomes another manufacturing process.

More trickier, would be the releasing of the internal "balls" from the surrounding solid structure and I am guessing it's done manually with tools similar to that of a Dremel but with special bits like those used in older times.

We can also see how the intricate carving of the outside ball is now done by watching the video you provided, for which I thank you for sharing.

Easy-peasy rockes2dust, we have now  just solved the age old puzzle being how those balls were made.

I do not however take away any of the skills still required to achieve the finished product.

The balls are still amazing to see and wonder just how in the heck did they make that.

Uraaaa.

Cheers, johnw

Hi Pat, I know exactly what you mean. The pictures you describe are actually all made of silk and are made in Suzhou, south of Shanghai by young girls between 12 to 15.  I had an opportunity to visit one of those factories when I was in Shanghai and was amazed at the age of the kids doing the sewing. When asked why kids, the answer was "due to their eyesight and the delicate intricacy  of the sewing involved"....... O.K. so I understood. The manufacturing process involves starting out with a blank sheet of silk stretched out on a wooden frame and involves copying a master colored sketch but using identical colored silk threads to make the picture.

Here is a sample of their handy-work:


Front side.


Close up, showing the skills of these kids doing the work. Each strand is different.


Other side.  Picture is 7 inches in diameter.


Close up of the other side. Please note the threads on the birds beak and the "blank" silk base they used.  

There are subtle differences on each side. Can you detect them? Here is a clue: The stamens in the flower on this side above, are more pronounced than those of the other side. So I am guessing this was the main side they used to make the picture.  In any event it is awesome work.
 
Seems I can't get away from "birds."

Cheers, johnw

I have held some of the carved balls before. Just amazing.

Well, I guess I could do a selection of silk pictures, I got, well you know this would happen, quite a few. Rex is my fave. I'll show you, hang on a while.

I had to get Rex outa his frame. He measures  11"x17"........Here is Rex:







Take a closer look. Pretty amazing work. 




Each silk strand is separate. You can get an idea of how fine a work it is here. Even his shiny nose is silk. 



Cheers, johnw

This is fantastic! 
You know I am kicking myself for not doing more shopping while I was in Hong Kong and Singapore

Just a quick follow up on the Zoo. We are now closed for the Winter Season and will return in spring when the weather is more suitable for Residents. And, at that time, the Fantasy Group  will then strut their stuff along with any new members of the Zoo.   In the meantime our security is managed by the Temple Dogs and the Fantasy Group were kind enough to send in their Dragon and Snatch Bird as ground support. Our eye in the sky has been provided by the Owl Group. Here they are:



That's it folks, all done. Zoo is now padlocked and all is secure.....

Cheers, johnw

I mentioned your zoo to my regal feline. I could not show her Mr. Hippo, as when she was young she was impaled by a hippo. I was afraid it would cause flashbacks. She was a little disappointed at the lack of many felines, but enjoyed the others.