Small tripod miniature incense burner of simple form in cast bronze. The two handles are unusually very thin. Below we can see the 6 characters of the reign of Xuande of the Ming Dynasty. The bronze is old, the beautiful patina attests to it. However, it is difficult to date it exactly. Usually the bronzes bearing the mark of Xuande are from the 17th century. A wooden base and lid were added later, probably in the 19th century...

Cast bronze incense burner. Simple, tripod shape, with cut-out rather than welded handles. Despite its simplicity, this censer is of a good quality finish, in fact you can see on some photos the traces of the passage of the scraper tool which makes a perfectly smooth surface. Below cast in the mass the mark of Xuande. Although bearing this mark of the 15th century, this type of bronze is from the Qing period...

Antique Chinese hardwood bitong (brush pot) container for holding the brushes used by scribes for Chinese calligraphy. Made of dense and dark hardwood. Simple form with thick walls that taper inward slightly in the center. Soft to the touch with original buttery like finish.

Age: early 20th Century

Dimensions: 8 1/4" high x 8 1/8" wide

Hexagonal pewter teapot inlaid with brass panels engraved with birds, plants and fruits, all with their own auspicious meaning. Qianlong period (1736-1795). H. 24 cm. Good condition with good age wear and patina. There is a mark on the inside of the lid. I’ve collected this piece in Beijing in the late 90’s and kept it in my private collection ever since.

Antique Chinese bitong (brush pot) carved of huanghuali wood with mythical chilong creatures. Undulating edges around the rim seem to unfurl. The lower portion is carved with a cusped edge and three low feet. Beautiful grain.

Age: Republic Period (early 20th century)

Dimensions: 6 7/8" high x 6 1/8" wide

19th century Chinese carved green fluorite scholar's table libation cup/brush washer with nice purple highlights on the superbly done top rim. It is carved in high relief with birds, flowers and rockery with the bottom part having a twisting stem type riser. In excellent condition, it measures without stand 3" high x 3" long (at the very top rim) x 2.25" wide as the top rim flairs out more across the length.

Chinese hardwood bitong (brush pot). Made of dense and dark hardwood. Simple form with elegantly tapered walls. Cusped edge around mouth and foot.

Age: Republic Period

Dimensions: 8" high x 7 7/8" wide

Antique Chinese bitong (brush pot) made of boxwood (huangyang) burl. Beautifully gnarled surface. Foot and mouth made of carved ebonized rosewood.

Age: Republic Period (early 20th century)

Dimensions: 7 5/8" high x 6 1/2" wide

Antique Chinese ovoid form ink stone carved of green serpentine and inscribed with calligraphy on one side and archaic script on the reverse. The text on the front of the ink stone references a quote from the Analects of Confucius:
子曰：“不患人之不己知，患不知人也。 Which translates as Xue Er: The Master said, "I will not be afflicted at men's not knowing me; I will be afflicted that I do not know men." There is a key difference however in the middle of the phrase...

Antique Chinese large bitong or brush pot carved of one piece of huanghuali wood and inlaid with a scene of birds on a blossoming branch and a poem. Inlaid materials include bone, stone, lacquer and shell. The poem translates as: "Birds flying in a line, the tree is blooming, the blooming flower is falling to the ground, the spring mountain, one group of birds fly over the valley, sound makes a lonely sound"...

Antique Chinese carved Jade signature seal. Rectangular cong form carved of jade-green stone with orange striations and black flecks. Intricately carved on all sides. One side, a sage or scholar with long staff. On another side, a flower vase on a stand with a bird on a branch. Another side is carved with a blossoming branch. And one side has a design of a bat.

Age: Qing Dynasty (19th century)

Dimensions: 2 3/4" high x 1 1/8" wide x 1 1/8" wide

Antique Chinese soapstone signature seal. Rectangular form with some lovely gray mottling. Carved on one side with a flower vase.

Age: Qing Dynasty (circa 19th century)

Dimensions: 2 5/16" high x 15/16" wide x 15/16" wide

Antique Chinese brush pot. Carved of beautiful, heavy and dense huanghuali wood. Dark color wood with dark patina and lighter honey brown striations. Thick sides, carved with slight outward flare, wider at the mouth. Foot and rim are carved with subtle, fine cusp. With plug in bottom. A prized object for any scholar's table.

Age: 18th/19th century

Dimensions: 8" high x 7 1/4" wide

nice old one...brass corners for stability... probably owned and used by storekeeper

A Chinese bronze censer with stylized fish handles. The recessed base with a cast apocryphal Ming Xuande reign mark. 18th century.

An almost identical censer was auctioned at Christie’s “Interiors”, London, South Kensington, lot 795. 9th November, 2011. Results available on the Christie’s website.

Approximately 9.5 cm mouth diameter, 8 cm high.The censer weighs 414 grams...

Antique Chinese table screen made of serpentine from the Nangyang region. In two separate pieces: the picture slab of prized serpentine is framed in Huanghuali which sits into a carved frame. Valued for it's undulating natural snake-like layers, this serpentine screen once sat on a scholar's table. There, it could be admired and pondered for it's beauty.

Age: Ming Dynasty 17th Century

Dimensions: 22 1/2" high x 13 3/4" wide x 8" deep

Antique Chinese hardwood ruyi scepter, naturalistically carved in the gnarled form of a lingzhi mushroom. A ruyi (meaning "as desired" or "as you wish" in Chinese) is a symbol of power and good fortune. Larger ruyi were held by nobility as scepters, smaller ruyi acted as a talisman...

A Chinese antique brush pot make of Huanghuali wood, late Ming Dynasty to early Qing Dynasty, 17th century. Condition: There are chips and age cracks, please study the photos for condition details. Height: 15cm, diameter: 15cm.