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Originally Posted by TreeBay
If they're hollow, aren't they molded - at least the basic structure?
Regards,
Matt
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keep in mind these mud figures were a tradition passed from generation to generation for 1000's of years,they are hollow because they were hand packed into a mold, the head ,hands ,feet and legs were added after the torso had air dried, along with hair, hats, baskets, fruits and other accessories....after which they were fired, glazed and fired again.
It has been suggested these figures were created by village co-ops in all the different regions in China just for the export trade, that would account for the various degrees of quality in each piece....most are beleived to be made in Shiwan, thats an erroneous myth according to one online author, because he says they were also produced in Foshan, Canton, and Jiangshu provinces and others are mentioned .
There is not much not known about these oriental curios today, but myths are its legacy as one collector states....the one one sure truth is that they were hand made by individual or group artisans of the past and as such are irreplaceable....I know of a fellow who is writing a book about them, a collectors guide....seems he's collaborated with and gleaned info from other collectors and has agreed to write it....if anyone is interested you can read a short article about antique mudfigures he wrote for Harry Harrington over at
www.bonsai4me.com it 's posted under the articles section and the title is "MudMan....Myths ,Facts and Fiction, Legacy of an antique collectible....I read it several times , it's a pretty good article and it seems a lot of what he says is being parroted by other websites who offer to sell mudfigures and by sellers on ebay.