# Experts on Asian art: are these pictures valuable? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Tags:** arts-crafts\ **Created:** [September 2, 2024, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/experts-on-asian-art-are-these-pictures-valuable/1006624 "2024-09-02T15:11:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2024, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/experts-on-asian-art-are-these-pictures-valuable/1006624/1 "2024-09-02T15:11:36Z")
My wife’s grandparents bought several of these Japanese pictures in Japan sometime in the 1960s. I suspect they’re just cheap stuff made for tourists with no significant value today, but I thought I’d ask here, just in case. Googling shows similar things to be selling for around $40, but I’m not sure they’re _exactly_ the same. If that’s what they’re worth, it’s probably not worth my time to try to sell them on eBay, since the net would be substantially less. Thanks for your thoughts. [![Google Photos](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AP1GczO0FtWoK5aYitieRkJToUY4uZxilC7H9RAgXVv9hzatByNSkkQwckpd0RDMPXk5Nfih8yT5nh_H_PDKV6MhHxH_YU8pAJkdnvWNq_yH0i8bub2EsqT1=w600-h315-p-k "New item by James Hyder") ](https://photos.app.goo.gl/8nEhBcyY4Hk6XDTL7) [![Google Photos](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AP1GczNJpe5C2yrkHceffNQwIgdMYhfS0fsVCHk5dn8mRTAomwqqNS7ZohO0OaOh0aWzgGK9r-5xsaiiNkPRssunFO2JimYkR8KoWf1bgS_eZ85gP6gXCMyf=w600-h315-p-k "New item by James Hyder") ](https://photos.app.goo.gl/aE6TwLATXvkmDHXK9) ---
**Author:** ![pjd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pjd/32/3009_2.png) [@pjd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pjd)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2024, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/experts-on-asian-art-are-these-pictures-valuable/1006624/2 "2024-09-02T17:07:31Z")
Might be worth asking on Reddit… [WhatIsThisPainting](https://www.reddit.com/r/WhatIsThisPainting/) often contains this sort of question. ---
**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:** [September 2, 2024, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/experts-on-asian-art-are-these-pictures-valuable/1006624/3 "2024-09-02T18:08:59Z")
Given those aren’t even Japanese characters, I’m going to guess not much. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2024, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/experts-on-asian-art-are-these-pictures-valuable/1006624/4 "2024-09-02T18:16:33Z")
What are they? I assumed Japanese. ---
**Author:** ![FrenchDunadan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frenchdunadan/32/5449_2.png) [@FrenchDunadan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FrenchDunadan)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2024, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/experts-on-asian-art-are-these-pictures-valuable/1006624/5 "2024-09-02T19:02:11Z")
Chinese I’d say. Probably actors of traditional Chinese theater. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2024, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/experts-on-asian-art-are-these-pictures-valuable/1006624/6 "2024-09-02T19:04:27Z")
Okay, I’m showing my cultural ignorance. I thought they were Japanese. In that case, probably not acquired in Japan, probably acquired by my wife’s parents in China in the early 70s after Nixon opened it up. ---
**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:** [September 2, 2024, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/experts-on-asian-art-are-these-pictures-valuable/1006624/7 "2024-09-02T19:12:15Z")
Chinese. Looks like _Xiqu_ (Chinese opera) characters. One is wearing [_lingzi_](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lingzi). I suspect they’re all the stock character types. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2024, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/experts-on-asian-art-are-these-pictures-valuable/1006624/8 "2024-09-02T22:55:38Z")
Do they come in a “black velvet” version?