Antique Tibetan tsakli card depicting a beast-headed ḍākinī. Painted in mineral colors on paper with Sanskrit writing on the back.

Tsakli cards are powerful miniature paintings of Buddhist deities and objects. They have many different ritual uses. They can be used for teaching when a lama holds the card out for a student to focus on, thus helping them with the visualization and meditation on that deity and what it represents...

Antique Tibetan tsakli card depicting a wrathful deity (Heruka) wielding a sword on horseback. Painted in mineral colors on paper with Sanskrit description on the back.

Tsakli cards are powerful miniature paintings of Buddhist deities and objects. They have many different ritual uses. They can be used for teaching when a lama holds the card out for a student to focus on, thus helping them with the visualization and meditation on that deity and what it represents...

Early 19th century boxwood netsuke of a monkey seated with its head down and turned to its left, supporting a hude bamboo shoot on its shoulder. Excellent carving with clean lines, great thoughtful expression on its face. Large and deep himotoshi (cord opening) in accordance with the habit of the time. Overall beautiful mellow patina from wear. Very clever and charming piece. Height 1 9/16 inches.

A Japanese Satsuma Gosu blue bowl of a spiral motifs with enamels and gilt. Edo period middle 19th century Sizes: 27 x 2 cm. Condition report: Good condition

Antique Tibetan bronze seated figure of Vajrasattva. Also called Dorje Sempa, Dorje means "indestructible diamond" and Sempa is the Tibetan term for Sattva in Sanskrit meaning "heroic being". Sempa in this case, refers to the role of a Bodhisattva, someone on the road to becoming a Buddha but who has stayed behind, selflessly dedicating themselves to helping others gain enlightenment...

Small round zushi consisting of two parts. The outside of both are covered in nashiji lacquer. On the inside of the one part in relief is carved in fine detail the image of Bishamonten holding a trident and a pagoda, subduing two demons. Inside the cover sits Benzaiten playing the biwa.
Bishamon and Benten are two of the seven gods of good fortune (shichifukujin), but they each hold a position in the Buddhist pantheon, as well.
Both images in plain, unpainted camphor wood...

An incredible large antique Japanese merchant Todana Tansu (storage chest with doors and drawers) in 2 sections made of Keyaki (Zelkova) and Sugi (Cryptomeria) woods. Originally used in a Japanese store to stock and display wares and supplies as well as provide a beautiful functional furniture accent for the merchant...

Early 19th century Kyoto school netsuke of a seated shishi (Buddhist lion) hugging a large ball. Strong early piece, wonderful ferocious face, powerful oversized paws with beautifully defined claws, eyes are inlaid with brown horn, loose ball in its mouth. Excellent hairwork (see its mane and bushy tail), old age lines, deep differently sized himotoshi, beautiful wear and patina consistent with age, pleasantly fat, great sculpture. Height 1 5/8 inches.

19th century wooden netsuke carved as a theatrical mask of Okame with characteristic chubby cheeks. Great facial expression with a slight smile, excellent finish, beautiful wear and patina. Signed IKKO on the back bar - this remarkable artist is discussed on p. 512 of NETSUKE & INRO ARTISTS AND HOW TO READ THEIR SIGNATURES by George Lazarnick. Height 1 13/16 inches.

Height: 19.1 cm (7.8 in)
Width: 18.6 cm (7.5 in)

Fine Chinese Kangxi blue and white porcelain Children’s or Boys’ jar; shows children playing in a garden setting; minor scratches; very good condition; email for more pictures

19th century netsuke of a chubby seated puppy with one front paw on an abalone shell. Wonderful depiction of its fat body, playful face, great hairwork, eyes are inlaid with dark horn. Old age lines, himotoshi is formed by its left hind leg, beautiful patina turning honey color on the back where netsuke was touching silk of the kimono. Signed KYOGYOKU (alternative reading id Gyotama) on the bottom. Height 1 inch.

An important and beautiful larger pottery bowl with musician, Near East, ca. 12th.-13th. century AD.

A very rare and impressive conically shaped pottery bowl with green-yellow decoration on a cream-white ground. A musician seated in the center with a string instrument and 6 other figures seated on the fan with halos, marvelous dotted decoration.

Size: 25 cm. wide and 10 cm...

19th century Asakusa school staghorn netsuke in manju (rice cake) shape decorated on the front with a low relief carving of a bird (possibly a woodpecker) on a tree branch. Beautifully carved, eye inlaid with black horn. Two parts fit snugly, beautiful warm patina, darker porous areas as is usual with staghorn. Signed EISAI on the back - for information on this rare Asakusa artist see NETSUKE & INRO ARTISTS AND HOW TO READ THEIR SIGNATURES by George Lazarnick, p. 361. Diameter 1 1/2 inches.

Old sake bottle of strong conical shape with a short neck and everted rim.
Underneath the beautiful milky feldspar glaze a cobalt bue and black sketch-like drawing of sprigs of bamboo. Bottom glazed brown, as is typical for this ware. Mingei.

Most likely Ofuke (or Ofukei) ware, made near Nagoya, Japan.
Edo period, circa 1800
H ca. 6 x diam at bottom ca. 5.5 in.

Ofukei has a historical relation to Seto ware...

18th century netsuke of a reclining shishi with its head turned to the right, its mouth wide open as it bites its rear paw (probably tries to take out something stuck between its pads). Unusual posture, very strong early piece, eyes inlaid with dark horn, a loose ball in its mouth, superb oversized powerful paws, excellent hairwork (see its bushy tail and mane), beautiful slightly convex (not flat) bottom...

Lot conisists of two large celts or axes, a drop-shape piece in grey stone, lightly rough and a triangular axe in green stone, finely polished, 1st. millenium BC.

Sizes: The grey axe 14,5 cm., the green one 12,7 cm.

Condition: Choice, a few minor chips, very nice patinas.

Provenance: From an important German collection of Hermann Hemeick. The collection of 71 stone objects was collected on trips to the Dominican Republic between 1960 and 1984...

A pair of stunning rare Precolumbian stone tools or carving, Taino Culture, Hispaniola, pre 15th. century AD.

Interesting lot of two grey stone artifacts; one a rectangular stone tool with rounded corners and sides, verysymethric carving in a vulcanic hard stone, possibly a pestle, 10 cm. long and 8 cm. wide and 6,5 cm. thick, so quite massive...

Rare Apulian kalathos with cylindrical body widening to a flared mouth. The rim set off by incised grooves, the foot with three rounded ridges. The inside of the base with a red wash.
Decorated with brown glaze shading to black. The finger marks just above the ring foot show that the vessel was dipped into the glaze.
The kalathos is a vase associated to the female sphere and stands for abundance and fertility.
The kalathos is often depicted on vases with domestic scenes and...