This Ethnic Minority festival necklace is from one of the Miao villages in the mountains outside the city of Tia Jiang. The neckpiece is formed from a hollow silver tube aprox. .5 inches in diameter. The hollow medallion is .5 inches thick. The necklace can be worn comfortably. The silver medallion has elaborate reposse work with an array of symbols of Miao culture and legend. There is a pair of Phoenix birds flying above a pair of dragons who are chasing a fiery pearl enclosing a frog. The ...click for details
By the latter part of the 19th century the ruling Qings were obsessed with every last detail of dress. This antique top grain leather fan case could only have been owned by very wealthy Chinese woman.
A must have for any lotus shoe collector. This iron was used for pressing lotus shoes. The thin curved end was useful for getting into the toe area.
Made of iron, it is somewhat rusty-i.e. pleasantly aged.
Length tip to tip is 13"
This horn was sold to me as being used for giving animals medicine but I suspect from the carved shape of the open end that it was used for a scoop, possibly for tea or other herbs. The carving is of the front of a horse with his feet on top of a dragons head. The horn has a translucent quality which makes it more valuable in Chinese Ethnic Minority societies. The closed carved end is darkened from years of being handled. Being 6.5" long and in excellant condition, it is a fine ethnogr ...click for details
These Chinese eyeglasses have lightly tinted lenses in a tortoise shell frames. Eye ware was favored by the Chinese because it was felt that they enhanced ones age appearance i.e. made the wearer appear older than their chronological age. The spectacles are detailed with a carved design at the nose bridge and have hinged side pieces which end in a circular stop which was very typical of the Chinese eye ware of the period.
Carved from bamboo, this charming old Chinese brush rest was shipped back to the US by an American missionary Rebecca Cloud Stewart. It was designed to hold 2 mid-sized brushes. The name Huang Hua Fu is written on the back. Possibly he was one of China's less prosperous calligraphers. 3.5" x 3.5" it is in very good condition.
This antique Chinese silk dragon court vest is couched with silk thread embroidery designs of dragons, birds, flowers, clouds etc. and accents of gold bouillion thread. Vest shows some minimal wear and is in overall good condition.
The vest dates to the mid 19th century and has a front rank badge with bird facing the wearers left shoulder. This indicates that the original owner was the wife of a civil official. T ...click for details
This small Chinese inro style container would have been worn suspended from the wearer's belt. It was hand carved from wood and detailed on each side with delicate decorative carvings of birds, flowers and a phoenix.
The piece is 2.5 inches high and 2 inches at the widest point. Because of its small size and shape, it was most likely used as an opium container. The inside has been carefully cleaned to avoid dog ...click for details
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.
This girl doll stand 6.5 inches high. Her costume is complete and in very good condition with the exception that the front of her tunic and pants are slightly sun faded when compared to the back. Her face is slightly darkened from exposure to the sun.
The Door of Hope dolls were sold to raise money for the Door of Hope orphanage in Shanghai. Along with their other duties, the children of the "door of hope" ...click for details
