In the mid 15th century a freighting junk loaded with fine Vietnamese pottery sank in an area of the South China Sea called the “Dragon’s Embrace.” Around 1994 local fishermen began finding pottery in their nets. Thus what has become known as the "Hoi An Hoard" was discovered. This blue and white porcelain jar was purchased as part of that hoard...

In the mid 15th century a freighting junk loaded with fine Vietnamese pottery sank in an area of the South China Sea called the “Dragon’s Embrace.” Around 1994 local fishermen began finding pottery in their nets. Thus what has become known as the "Hoi An Hoard" was discovered. This blue and white porcelain jar was purchased as part of that hoard...

Rare rocker engraved Navajo bug spoon. File inscribed "Gallup / NM" in the bowl. 4" in length. Extremely rare depiction of what looks like centipedes. Price on request.

Late 1800s / early 1900s

This figure is press-molded in the traditional manner of blanc de chine sculptures from late Ming times through the Nineteenth Century. It is well-modeled from highly refined, very white porcelain. The interior is unglazed revealing the fine white body. The figure has a glossy creamy white appearance from the fine, evenly-applied clear glaze. She sits with one knee slightly raised and hands concealed by the flowing robe. A beaded pendant adorns the chest...

During the Edo Period, there was a time when puppet play became the most popular form of entertainment among the common people. At one time, they were so popular that Kabuki actors even began mimicking the movement of the puppets.

The era of Ningyo Joruri (puppet play later called Bunraku) began in 1684 when Takemoto Gidayu, a narrator, opened a theater in Dotonbori...

Burmese bronze ladle.

Age: Burma, circa 14th - 15th Century
Measurement: Length 17.7 C.M. / Width 5.7 C.M. (size excluding stand)
Condition: Nice condition overall. Please refer to the enlargement photos for more details.
Shipment: Worldwide shipping from Bangkok, Thailand at actual cost. Please e-mail us for the shipping fee.

Many Chinese would "grind" a day's supply of ink in advance and store the liquid ink in a metal "inkbox". According to the calligraphy on the top of this inkbox, it was a gift in the year of the goat, to a medical inspector upon completion of his 3rd year of work in Yuncheng city, Shanxi province. The inkbox is 3 inches in diameter and has an dried ink in the bottom and a built in inkstone inside the lid.

Purchased through Christie's a good number of years ago, this is a very rare Ko-Imari porcelain figure circa 1640. Decorated in iron-red, green, gold and black enamel, the seated official measures 7.5"x6"x2".

Condition: Excellent, with only minor wear to enamel and one almost undetectibly small old chip to the edge of the base.

A fine late 19th century Imari 10.125" square plate, signed and brightly painted in shades of blue, red green and gold.

Condition: Excellent. No chips, cracks or repairs.

Beautiful old Japanese woven silk uchikake gown in new condition. The size of this gown is small (much shorter) and light in weight. We are not sure how gowns in this style were worn but our humble guess would be that they were either made into jackets for upper class women (style is similar to kosode from late Edo period), Noh custumes or wedding gowns (though the sleeves are short). Subtle but beautiful, will make a great wall decoration...

A perfect condition Famille-Verte model of a Parrot on a Rockwork Base, Qing Dynasty, Kangxi Period ( 1662 - 1722 ) H : 22,5 cm. Condition : Perfect. Please note, that this piece is no 19th century piece. It is a rare Kangxi model of a Parrot. A pair of something similar pieces in exactely the same size was sold at Sotheby´s London ( Sale:L04757, Lot 976, 11. Nov. 04 ) for GBP 10,800.- please have a look at the last image.

Leather products were rare and expensive during the Qing Dynasty in China. Fans were in common usage and a quality fan would have required a proper protective case. A wealthy woman could have afforded this suede fan case and would have considered it as the acceptable accessory to properly detail her finery.

The case is 9+ inches long with silk cord for drawstrings, elaborately knotted and tasseled.

Beautifully painted horses frolic through fields of wind blown grasses on this exceptional 16" late 19th century Imari porcelain charger.

Condition: Excellent. No chips, cracks or restoration

Circa 1880, this large 16.4" x 2" Imari charger is decorated with two village scenes finely painted in red, yellow, black and gold with a background pattern of blue and gold vines.

Condition: Excellent, very slight wear. No chips, cracks, or restoration.

This elaborate beaded breastplate would have been worn for festivals by a wealthy Tibetan woman. The main section has 3 ornate silver and turquoise ornaments surrounded by a raised beaded coil which is bordered with cowrie shells. The neckline rolled and padded.

It is 13 inches across at the widest point and can be tied around the neck using the attached fabric ties. As is obvious in the pictures, there are a couple areas of lose on the turquoise ornaments.

Late 19th century Nabeshina porcelain portrayal of Mt Fuji against a celadon ground. This signed 7" plate is in very good condition with only minor surface scratches from use.

This is a mid 19th century or earlier 7" Nabeshima shallow footed bowl decorated with a blue landscape against a celadon sky. A similar example is illustrated in The Study of the Nabeshima House's Ceramic Ware Factory and Its Products, Plate 10.

Condition: Excellent

This lovely small woman's purse was made from silk satin fabric and embroidered with silk thread useing the satin stitch. The purse still has the original silk ribbon attached to the bottom, and belt loop attached at the top.

This is an antique Chinese set of carved bone dominoes, complete with dice and original wooden box. Carved by hand sometime in the Qing dynasty, the 32 dominos vary abit in shape, size and thickness and the bone dice are a bit off cube.

The box is just under 5 inches x 2.5 inches x 1.5 inches.

With a height of 32 inches, this is a rare and impressive example of early 19th century Imari ware. Both the vase and stand are finely decorated in shades of blue, gold and orange.

Condition is excellent.

A school of three finely shaded mackerel swim across a sea of mottled green on this 2.75 inch baluster form vase signed Ando Jubei. The upper rim is of copper, the lower silver.

An excellent piece with only the negligible pitting usual for the era.

Rare Navajo Rocker Engraved Profile Spoon. Circa 1885-90. Totally rocker engraved, no stampwork. Interesting depiction of a Navajo man or woman in the bowl with hat and feathers. 5 1/2 inches in length. 1 1/8 x 1 1/4 inches bowl size. Incised file marks on the handle. A masterpiece of Navajo silversmithing.

This antique Chinese hand carved wooden bobbin still has a length of home spun thread which winds around the middle. The bobbin shows extensive use, with some areas of paint and finish heavily patinated and other areas just worn away.

Uniquely figured diamond shaped bronze 'suiban' flower vessel for ikebana flower arrangement. Lovely Meiji Period c.1885 bronze featuring hexagonal diaper pattern representing tortoise shells and long life. Ever since the Nara Period, stylized tortoise shells have been a popular diaper design in Japanese art. Very rare design for a suiban flower vessel; most are rectangular. Excellent condition. c.1885. (18" x 13") (45cm x 32cm).

Turn of the century antique Japanese bronze flower vase. Thick rings create an art deco feeling. Beautiful lines and rich coloration. c.1900. (9" x 5") (23cm x 11cm). EMS Shipping/Insurance to USA or Western Europe $80.

A pair of Japanese lacquered iron abumi (stirrups) decorated with gold lacquer on a roiro ground. It has butterfly family crests (mon) in the center of a scrolling leaf and flower border, the interior in red lacquer.

The butterfly design was a favorite among the aristocrats and was seen in their belongings, ox-carts and attire during the Heian period (794-1192). They were also seen in armor of the Heike (Taira family) before power was shifted to the Genji (Minamoto family) samurai...

This is a nice piece of cobalt blue glazed scholar’s brush stand. It has three mountains with scene of the “Hai Ma” flying amidst the ocean waves on both side of the stand. Circa. 19th century.

The brush stand is in good condition. No chip, repair, restoration or glaze friting.

The measurement of the scholar’s brush stand: The height is 7cm and the and the length is 10.1cm.

Since there still are no publications concerning this kind of ware, this extremely decorative and of course genuine Jar is difficult to date. Most probably this Jar is from the Song Dynasty (Private kiln, Fujian / Guandong ) but it also could be that this Jar is later, from the 14th - 15th century . Another possibility is, that this rare Jar belongs to Shiwan ware. This Jar bears 3 impressed private Kiln Marks which you can see at the images. Condition : Absolutely perfect condition and the ...

Japanese antique gift cover, fukusa, with the design of the Seven Gods of Good Fortune (Shichi Fuku Jin), tsuzure-ri tapestry weave with wide borders (1 3/4"). The liner is made of chirimen crepe silk, Meiji period (1868-1912), 26 1/4" W x 29 1/2"L

This is a beautiful fukusa even with obvious stains. It shows the quality and professional workmanship everywhere. This fukusa is woven in tsuzure-ori...

This is a circular copper scholar’s ink box with etching of a love poem on top of the cover. It has three seal ark on it, one on the extreme right and two just below the two below the name of the author. On the base of the ink box, there is also a seal mark likely to be that of the manufacturer. It also comes with the original used ink cake. Circa...

Antique Japanese merchant's chest (choba tansu), made of sugi (cryptomeria) wood with dark red lacquer finish, 4 exterior drawers and safe box with 2 small interior drawers, beautiful heavy iron hardware including elaborate bracing on front frame, wooden bracing on sides and back, from the Mikuni area, Edo Period (late 18th/early 19th century). Size: 32 1/2" high x 38" wide x 18" deep.

This Korean brush would have been used for painting and/or large calligraphy. The handle is an old horn of rich brown tones and a soft matte patina from use. The bristles are long and soft and show some ink residue close to the ferrule. It is a wonderful brush to hold

Description: A boxwood carving of Lohan was from late Qing period, 19th Century. Called Chang Mei Lo Han, Lohan with Long Eyebrows, the figure was with likely features of a westerner. By the unique outlook which the Chinese usually depicted to the divines, the Lohan takes the casual posture of leaning to one side when holding in hand with a scroll. By contemplating facial expression, the sage wears only one shoe on the foot when letting loose of another to the stool side...

Antique Japanese tsutsugaki (paste resist) cotton horse cover, bold design of large red characters on either side and white stripes on dark indigo ground in center.

Meiji Period (1868-1912)

Size: 14" wide x 89" long

Antique Japanese horse cover made of paste resist died cotton(tsutsugaki), design of fish jumping up waterfall on either side, middle is decorated with a large Tomoe (large commas) mon (crest).

Meiji Period 1868 - 1912

Size: 22" wide x 83 1/2" long

Antique Japanese horse saddle cover, made of tsutsugaki (paste resist died cotton), fan and tassel motif in red and indigo, large Kashiwa (oak leaf) mons on either side.

Meiji Period (1868-1912)

Size: 27 1/2" wide x 45" long.

Antique Japanese wooden horse saddle frame, lacquered and inlaid with shells in chrysanthemum motif with Soroban (abacus beads) mon, bronze hardware, Edo Period (late 18th/ early 19th century). Size: 17 1/2" high x 21" wide x 26" deep.

During the Qing dynasty, carved wood blocks were used to produce the ancestor portraits which decorated the homes of many Chinese families. The Chinese translation of the term "ancestor Portraits" can be misleading to Westerners...

Large silver geisha kanzashi (hair pin) with a family crest of three Kikyo (bellflower) blossoms within the kikko (tortoiseshell) hexagonal frame. Unique kanzashi for an elaborate hairdo. This kanzashi looks better than the photos shown. 9" long, late Meiji/Taisho period.

*The hexagon motif is a typical example of a pattern that was first popular among the courtly associates as a decoration on clothing, furnishings, carriages, and the like, and was later adopted as a formal her...

Beautiful Japanese ginbari cloisonne vase. At 9 1/2", this is an unusually large and desirable example among the same group. It probably dates from the Meiji period (1868-1912) when the art of Japanese cloisonné enamels reached its highest point. Technological improvements enabled artists to create wonderful examples, including one of the most desirable techniques called "ginbari" (silver foil foundation) shippo as you see it here.

In this vase, the impressed silver foil ground acc...

Japanese twin pronged kanzashi with an agate ball. Late Meiji/Taisho period. Kanzashi is 6" long and the diameter of the ball is 3/4".

In the old days of Japan, agate was treasured as one of the sacred treasures. The Seven Sacred Treasures of Japan (Shippo), which originally came from the Buddhist surta, are gold, silver, ruri (lapis lazuli - blue stone with purple tint), shako (sea shell), agate, pearl, and maie (sea shell). Some are replaced with coral or crystals (old glass) depe...

This is a nice conical shaped Song dynasty (960 – 1276) medium size bowl of light grayish glaze. It stands on a short foot rim and recessed base rising to an everted conical shaped glazed body stopping short of the rim, exposing the stoneware of light grey colour. On the inside of the bowl, along the cavetto, it is incised with a cloud like motif with light combed hair line mark. On the base inside of the conical bowl, some minutes shaved particles could be seen. It has a smooth mat glaze, not...

This is a early Nippon collectors dream, beautiful and profusely decorated with a background of rolling mountains and trees, displaying an early morning sunrise. Enlarged birds and lakeside bulrushes are elegantly sculpted in high relief detail, the handles and mouth rim as well as the bulrushes are dotted with jewel-like turquoise beads, colors of chocolate, salmon pink, orange, and yellow dazzle the eyes. This is a very old and unmarked Nippon ware, as every collector knows that all such speci...

Meiji period, 1868-1912

This shallow bowl-form dish is decorated with a peony growing from a rocky ground in underglaze cobalt blue. It is set on a high foot--characteristic of classic Nabeshima dishes. The foot is painted with the so-called comb tooth pattern often seen on dishes of this sort. It is glazed overall in an even, clear glaze that takes on a very slight, pale celadon tinge on the exterior. The base is glazed and the fine paste is exposed on the footring. The condition is very ...

One of the best shiwan (shekwan) sculptures we've ever encountered, this large masterpiece displays the legendary Laozi riding an ox: Laozi means "old master". It is said that he mounted an ox and headed west, before leaving, the border guard asked if he would write down his ideas, which Laozi obliged to do, thus he wrote the Tao-te ching (Book of Changes). The robes are done in a rich white glaze that is naturally aged with time, the glass-like eyes of the ox reflects the pinnacle of the pott...

This Chinese ethnic minority hair comb was hand carved with scalloped edge detail on both sides. Many ethnic minority women would save the hair from ancestors and add it to their own hair for additional bulk...some groups would add bits of wool also to make the hair appear thicker. Combs were used both for combing and for hair ornaments. Carved from walnut wood and 9 inches long at the bottom

18th Century Japanese Wood Carving of a Mythological Guardian Shishi and Peony. This carving is reminiscent of a carving at Nikko Shrine. It is unusual to find one with much of its paint still intact. Wonderfully carved and painted by a master. A fantastic addition for a collector. 31 inches (79 cm) long x 17.5 inches (44.5 cm) high. Excellent Condition. From a prominent and widely exhibited collection.

19th Century Japanese Porcelain figure of Kintaro in court attire in the style of a Gosho Ningyo (Palace Doll) holding a Crane. Kintaro loved all birds and animals. This rare porcelain figure is signed by Makuzu, a well recognized porcelain artist who is collected by museums and collectors in Japan. He uses glazes in his own recognizable style. 4 inches, 10 cm tall. Excellent Condition. From a prominent and widely exhibited collection.

Framed 19th Century Japanese Late Edo Period Embroidery of a Phoenix. Wonderful and elaborate master needle work with beautiful use of soft colored silk threads accented with gold silk threads. This a rare find for the Japanese textile collector. This was part of the Morris collection, which is housed in the Peabody Essex Museum in Massachusetts. It is framed with a Victorian era frame. 26.5 inches (67 cm)w x 25 inches (63.5 cm)h. The textile is in Excellent Condition, the frame is in Very Go...

Very rare, this oceanic artifact was brought back by from New Guinea by a pilot sometime in the 1950's. The dog teeth and boar tusks are held together by hand twisted stings woven and interlaced tightly around the widest ends.

Japanese Late Meiji Period Two Panel Owl Screen featuring a solitary owl perched on a wind blown bamboo, entwined by vines with clusters of red berries. Signed by Kouro. Nihonga School - ink and color on paper painting in tarashikomi, a technique that achieves shading through pooling successive layers of partially dried pigment. 68.5 inches (174 cm)h x 67 inches (170 cm)w. Very Good Condition. Minor Repairs. From a prominent and widely exhibited collection.

19th Century Japanese Late Edo Period Two Panels Rimpa Flower Screens. Rimpa School represents the highest standard of decorative painting of all schools of Japanese painting. The flowers and other elements are raised by the use of Gofun (Oyster Shell Lacquer). This masterpiece features wonderful color with gilding and silver leaf. A great work of art. 67.5 inches (171.5 cm)h x 48 inches (122 cm)w. Very Good Condition. From a prominent and widely exhibited collection.

An extraordinary early Meiji Period Bronze of a Roaring Lion. It is very unusual to see a Lion in Japanese Bronzes. It has a wonderful gold bronze patina, this great bronze signed Atsushige, a master of animal bronzes. 20 inches (51 cm) long x 10.5 inches (27 cm) high. Excellent Condition. From a prominent and widely exhibited collection.

Early 19th Century Edo Period signed Japanese Ikebana flower arranging wall basket made of bamboo woven by the master, Mineko, with wonderful color and design. Wall baskets of this quality are hard to come by. 8.5 inches (21.5 cm)h x 3.5 inches (9 cm)w. Excellent Condition. From a prominent and widely exhibited collection.

A signed classic Kakiemon Japanese Porcelain Vase by Meiji Period artist, Ucho, featuring a wonderful flower image with gorgeous, brilliant under glaze red on pure white glaze. This vase has the wonderful global shape of perfection. 8.5 inches (21.5 cm) tall. Excellent Condition. From a prominent and widely exhibited collection.

Japanese Two Panel Screen of Snow Cranes on a Willow Tree. This great masterpiece is one of the most amazing screen paintings we have seen. Each Snow Crane is painted with its own personality and attitude, using the finest pigments and Gofun (Oyster Shell Lacquer). All of the elements of this painting are just magical. Brocade borders in a black lacquered frame make this two panel screen complete this work of art. 66 inches (167.5 cm)w x 62 inches (157.5 cm)h. Excellent Condition. From a prom...

An unusual and important early 19th Century Edo Period Woven Bamboo Tea Ceremony Box. This unique work of art is the only one we have seen like this. Expertly woven bamboo accented with a large bamboo handle. A rare find for the serious Japanese basket collector. Wonderful color and patina. You are not likely to see another on the art market. 17.5 inches (44.5 cm)h x 12 inches (30.5 cm)w x 10 inches (20.5 cm)d. Excellent Condition. From a prominent and widely exhibited collection.

Early 18th Century Japanese Two Panel Screen Painting featuring a spectacular Phoenix. Exquisitely painted with silver leaf on paper. Original brocade borders. Screens this early are very rare, and screens of these proportions are rarely seen. 28 inches (71 cm)w x 24 inches 61 cm)h. Good Condition. From a prominent and widely exhibited collection.

Edo Period (circa 1820) Japanese Sculpture of Tenjin, the Shinto God of Knowledge. It was housed and displayed in a Shinto shrine. This Tenjin is extraordinary. it was commissioned by a wealthy family and presented to the shrine as a gift. It is an amazing work of art and is complete with its platforms and accessories. Its color and lacquer work are sublime. He has crystal eyes which add to an unforgettable image. 34 inches (86.5 cm)h x 22 inches (56 cm)w x 13 inches (33 cm)d. Excellent Cond...

Early 19th Century Edo Period Japanese Takeda Isho Ningyo pair representing Daikoku, the God of Wealth and Fukurokuju, the God of Knowledge in a sumo match. Wonderfully rendered Ningyo in a rare and unique pose. Symbolic parody of wisdom over money. Subjects of Sumo are very sought after in Japan. A great find for Ningyo and Sumo Collectors. Overall Dimensions: 12 x 11 x 9.5 inches, 30.5 x 28 x 24 cm. Excellent Condition. From a prominent and widely exhibited collection.