Monthly Archives: January 2014

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april 30, 2012 my collection 004 (1)

This is a lovely example of hand-carved black bamboo tiles. Bamboo was one of the most used materials in the early days of Mahjong, because it was available and very inexpensive. Some think it was the first material ever used for the game of Mahjong in the late 1800s, in the first days when money-based suits were carved onto tiles. The real challenge of bamboo lies with its hard nature; it is very difficult to carve. The bamboo seen here was dyed black and then carved by skilled craftsmen. The black background added real "pop" to the designs. The soaring bird One Bam is charming, and the other Bams are based on the "string of cash" and have pointed tips. The Dots go from the flower One Dot to rings of circles on the other tiles, and the Craks are the simple wan.

The order and appearance of the Flowers is interesting if I am interpreting it correctly. The flowers are plum blossom, orchid, bamboo, and chrysanthemum, the Four Gentlemen, but the plum blossom seems to be missing an outside petal. Also, Chinese seasons tend to begin in spring, which here is tile #2 (orchid).

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It is easy to understand why these newer (we think from from the 1960s until 1970s) hand-carved lucite tiles are so popular.  The crisp white background really sets off the bright color palette used by the painters, and the colors and the designs often can bring a smile to the viewer's face. Even the numbers seem to be animated. Many of us feel these hand-carved sets are undervalued at present.

The One Bam is a version of the standing pheasant so often seen on bone and bamboo tiles and on bakelite and catalin tiles. (What is interesting is that the bakelite and catalin tiles once probably looked very much like these tiles, although those were not hand-carved: both bakelite and catalin get yellower with age and exposure to light, and probably started off looking very much like this when they were manufactured.)

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The One Dots are unusual with their internal rings and squares. The other Dots have a simplified floral center pattern.

 

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The Craks feature the elaborate Wan, and all the Chinese numbers (the blue) appear animated. You will note that the colors used for Arabic numbers in each suit is different.

 

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The Winds are a crisp looking red and blue. The Dragons are figurative for the Red and Green, and more of the Chinese looking frame for the White Dragon.

 

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The color gold is not often seen on tiles, but it appears on each Flower tile in this set. The three people in the top row of tiles are a delightful addition to the scenes. The second row has flowers, although I can't identify all of them: plum blossom, orchid, unknown and bamboo.

The bottom eight are simplified symbols, and these will be discussed in another post. You will often see these on Flower tiles.

 

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The large Big Joker carving, along with the shape of the Bams and the Craks, points to the set having been made by Cardinal.

 

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The tiles really are wonderful when seen from the side, with their three layers. This set has the beautiful green backs, the clear centers, and white faces. We thank our friends at mahjongmahjong for sending us these photos. To see more of this set and other sets in their private collection, click here

http://www.mahjongmahjong.com/vintage_mahjong_pc/tri-colour_mj7.htm

jan 1, 2014 006 (800x636)

A reader sent these photographs of this very lovely thick bone set.

You will quickly note the absence of any Arabic numbers or Western indices. This set was not intended for export, so adding foreign letters and numbers was not deemed necessary. The designs are clean (as are the tiles!)  All three suits have the ornate style of engraving.

The One Bamboo bird is particularly lovely, and unusual with the yellow paint around its neck.

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The Flower tiles have been translated by Ray Heaton:

Top row: Smoke or mist, large waves, North (you can recognize that symbol from the Wind tiles) and Ocean. This could mean there is an ocean with large waves to the North of this peaceful lake.

Bottom Row: Lake, West (you know this one from the Winds), scenery, beautiful. This could mean the scenery is beautiful on West Lake.

I love the details seen in this set. The carvings on the tree branches, indicating many different types of trees, birds flying through the air, little dots of color representing flowers, and the boats seen in the top row, with the delightful glimpses of the sailboat and the row boat coming into view around rock ledges. A fisherman is seen at work, and the water reflects both his image as well as that of the boat. There is something very peaceful about the scenes here, very much like those in landscape paintings.

Here is a link to information about this lake, which has inspired writers and artists throughout the years. If you look at the map you will see the ocean is to the North.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Lake

 

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A reader sent this photo along with the translations of the Flower tiles, and it seemed a wonderful way to start off the new year.

These beautiful mother-of-pearl tiles are delicately carved. Because of the nature of the material, the craftsman had to be very skilled and able to work with small delicate strokes. Be sure to really study the photo so that you can see the precision of each bit of carving.

The paint colors are unusual, and perfect for the richness of the mother-of-pearl surface.

Two tiny tacks located diagonally across from each other affix each thin wafer to its tile back.

The Red tiles are Chinese scholarly pursuits

1. Qin -The guqin -a Chinese stringed instrument
2. Qi - Chinese chess
3.Shu- Calligraphy
4.Hua - Painting

Gold tiles the seasons:-

1.Chun -Spring
2. Xia- Summer
3.Qiu- Autumn
4.Dong- Winter

 

For more information about mother-of-pearl you can click on this wiki link

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nacre

Beautiful mahjong photographs can be seen in my book, written with Ann Israel:

www.mahjonggtheartofthegame.com

You can order the book here:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/mah-jongg-ann-israel/1118759459?ean=9784805313237

or here

amazon.com/gp/product/4805313234/ref=s9_psimh_gw_p14_d0_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=199S5S6NWB88PX3YJFZY&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=1688200382&pf_rd_i=507846