# Asian art:  original or print and how to tell

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asian-art-original-or-print-and-how-to-tell/382408>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [December 1, 2006, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asian-art-original-or-print-and-how-to-tell/382408 "2006-12-01T00:05:04Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Sycorax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a4c791/32.png) [@Sycorax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sycorax)\
**Post date:** [December 1, 2006, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asian-art-original-or-print-and-how-to-tell/382408/1 "2006-12-01T00:05:04Z")

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I have quite a few Asian art works that I found in years of browsing antique shops. They appear to me to be original – the quality of the frame and matting, texture, and, in one case, a label on the back naming the artist. They all have a chop (i.e., the artist’s “signature” in Chinese or Japanese characters), but it could still be a print. Using a magnifiying glass, I noticed that at least two of the art works appear to be done on a fabric of some kind (appears to be a weave…silk maybe?) I think a lot of Asian art is done on silk. Any clues as to how I might be able to tell the difference between an original and a print?

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**Author:** ![TheMightyFro](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/themightyfro/32/20081_2.png) [@TheMightyFro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheMightyFro)\
**Post date:** [September 30, 2019, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asian-art-original-or-print-and-how-to-tell/382408/2 "2019-09-30T17:26:46Z")

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My first step would be to locate the nearest fine arts museum, and ask to speak to someone in the restoration department. There is usually someone who knows everything about telling genuine articles from the fakes. They may even offer to appraise the pieces, for a nominal fee. Good luck!

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**Author:** ![Isamu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7c8e57/32.png) [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)\
**Post date:** [October 1, 2019, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asian-art-original-or-print-and-how-to-tell/382408/3 "2019-10-01T01:18:53Z")

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Japanese “Ukiyo e” are, by definition, prints. I don’t know much about Chinese art.

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**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\
**Post date:** [October 1, 2019, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asian-art-original-or-print-and-how-to-tell/382408/4 "2019-10-01T13:02:28Z")

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> [@Sycorax](#):
>
> Any clues as to how I might be able to tell the difference between an original and a print?

This is not something you can reliably do for yourself - even experts struggle sometimes, but they are way better placed to do this.