Catalog: Antiques (488)

According to many Indians, this old juicer would also doubled as a pasta maker. With the carved animal heads on each side, and great aged patina, it makes an interesting sculptural artifact of India's culture.

Measures 12 high, 10 inches wide and 6 inches deep.

Clearly made by an adoring grandmother, this antique Dong Minority hat is covered with a variety of ornate embroidery stitches including both wrapped thread and couching techniques. The hat is topped with silver half beads representing bubbles and a large top knot.. It is a bid dirty which would be expected in a childs hat of this age and use.

This old Chinese silk hat would have been owned and worn by a gentleman of some financial means. The gold fretted trim was expensive and used on both mens and woman's clothing of the during late Qing dynasty. There is some blue trim fabric lost as shown in the pictures. The hat is lined with red cotton fabric and has writing in 2 of the 6 sections.

This box is covered with unusually fine cloisonne work. the four sides and top all have the same design motif. Nicely hinged at the back and sits on 4 separate ball feet. excellent condition, measured 4.5 inches x 2.5 inches x 1.5 inches.

The front of this Tibetan Flint Pouch is decorated with silver and bronze ornamentation and an inset coral bead. The back is decorated with bronze buttons to protect the leather from excessive wear. The pouch still has its original leather strap which would have been used to secure the pouch to the wearers belt.

Flint was an essential and valuable item for nomadic and indigenous cultures and as such was frequently carries in pouch specifically designed for its use.

This is one of a pair of wooden (not papier mache) footed plates made for export. The central medallion Japanese scene is classic and the rim has ornate panels with animals and plants. Each side has handle shaped and painted as an ivy leaf.

On the black lacquered back is the rement of a very old label with indistinguishable Asian characters...

Very Nice patina on this old Tibetan Dorje. It is 7 inches long. The Tibetan Dorje is the equivalent of the India Buddhist symbol of Vajra or Thunderbolt which represents the masculine force....

This is one of a pair of wooden (not papermache) chinoiserie footed plates made for export. The central medallion Japanese scene is classic and the rim has ornate panels of individual woman in various poises. Each side has handle shaped and painted as an ivy leaf.

On the black lacquered back is the rement of a very old label. Plate is 10.75 inches at the widest point...

This matching Japanese 5 piece set consists of 2 deeply footed shallow serving bowls and 3 small shallow bowls. The deep rich red/orange lacquer background serves to highlight the gold, black and gray landscape scene which graces the inside of each piece. Flying high overhead a gold crane surveys the pine tree and series of sacred mountains. The largest piece is 7 inches diameter, next piece is 6 inches diameter and the 3 pieces each have a 3.5 inch diameter.

Carved from a single block of hardwood, this Chinese drum has great patina aged surfaces. An old folk art instrument, it shows the wear of use during many musical performances at chinese operas and street festivals. When "beaten" with its accompanying drum stick, it has a deep attractive sound.

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.

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.

Rare Japanese antique box. Body of box has treebark finish. The top has 2 very fine lacquerware pieces depicting cranes and irises. The keyhole escheon is floral shaped and is incised. Sorry, no key, condition is very good. 10.5 x 3.5 x 2.5

This set of Chinese dolls were made with wire bodies covered with fabric padding and then silk clothing. Their heads, lower arms and feet are made from some kind of composition material and then painted. Because of their wire construction, their arms, legs, and bodies etc can be carefully repositioned. The feet are wired together to provide a more stable base...it is a theory which frankly does not always work well...

This plain pot metal vessel was used to contain hair oil during the reign of Chinese Emperor Daoquang about 1850. Standing about 6 inches high and 3.5 inches diameter at the widest point, a woman would dip her comb into the oil before combing her hair. I do have an identical matched pair of these but am selling them separately.

Needles were a valued woman's sewing tool and were carefully secured in a special case hanging from the belt. This Chinese silver needle case has 6 sides, each with a delicate repousse floral design. The bottom is weighted with a small turquoise and larger amber bead.

For women of indigenous cultures, sewing needles were often hard to come by and considered valuable tools. Commonly, among such groups, cases were specifically designed to protect and safeguard the sewing. This particular antique silver needle case is from the Chinese Miao ethnic minority group and would have been worn by the women as a decorative costume ornament during festival.

Beautiful old wooden Japanese serving tray with irises carved into the border. Meiji Period. 12" x 22"