Straw Art pictures
17.5” x 13.5” From a shop in Hang Zhou, China in made in
1916. When an appraisal was done by a dealer in Hong Kong 5 years ago, he
stated that it was very difficult to find a complete set of 4. Both he and the
Antiques Roadshow defined them as ‘Excellent quality and design” by master artist
Zi-Yan Zhang.
These were appraised at the Antiques Roadshow when they came
to Detroit Michigan in June 2018, we have that figure, and yes it is much
higher than price asked here. They have been in a smoke free, sunlight free
area of our home for 30 years. We are relocating and it is time to reduce our
possessions. They are in very good condition for being over a century old and
have never been out of their frames.
In case you are unfamiliar, a piece of straw is unrolled,
flattened then meticulously cut into intricate patterns as seen in these four
works of art representing each season. Each background is silk. There is straw
art available, but this is when it was an art form regarded to be performed by
a master, times have changed.
We have retaken the picture in a darker blue several times
with different lighting, but, for some reason, it continues to take
differently. The other three are true background color.