| Original Message: Re: Fake Seals from Afghanistan |
|---|
|
Dear RM, I first saw these seals in quantity in 1987, in a large collection of beads from Afghanistan, that I was hired to compose into necklaces. (This was after I was asked to authenticate the whole collection some weeks earlier.) The collection included beads spanning 500 BCE to modern beads, with lots of Sassanian and Islamic specimens; and quite a few fakes—including fake amber. Since then, I have seen many of these fake seals, along the same line. They are very recognizable. The collection shown in Magical Ancient Beads (though not necessarily all of them) were the next big group I examined. The images are limited to a few subjects that I've seen over and over again: animals (like lions and bulls), a male profile (supposedly Alexander), geometrical lines, and the like. The thing is, these seal images are NOT made the way authentic ancient seals were produced. The ancient methods relied on rotary grinding, to create recessed circles. Then these circles were joined together to make up images. It's very akin to drilling. The fakes are wheel-cut. A grinding wheel is used to engrave cuts (usually "V"-shaped) that form lines. They have sloppy ends and produce a matte surface. The details of the images are crude. The look is very different from classical seals—and all this becomes very apparent when you make impressions in clay and LOOK at the images. This is not to say that all ancient seals have nice images, nor that fakes never have nice images. The point is, it's a lot easier to spot the obvious fakes. Seals are not my speciality. There are many times when I would be unsure whether a piece is authentic or not—because there are some very good fakes in collections and on the market. All this began at least 100 years ago when seals became remarkably collectible in England. I have written about this a number of times. Unfortunately, I don't know when the fakes we are discussing here were made—but I don't think it was so terribly long ago. I suspect not before the mid-20th century, but it's only a guess. I'll try to show some images when I can sort them out and make scans. Jamey All rights reserved by Bead Collector Network and its users |
|
|