Catalog: Antiques: Regional Art: Asian (459)

This lovely set of 5 antique Japanese blue and white porcelain sake cups was made for export during the McKinley Tariff Act of 1890-1914 which required that the name of the country of origin appear in writing on each piece of pottery or porcelain imported into the country. Each cup has the makers name on the bottom as well as the country of origin. they are in excellant condition.

This antique Burmese betel nut box contains matching serving tray and 4 small containers. The side of the box is circled with an excellent example of the Burmese schwezawa technique of gold leaf in a striking swirling chu-pan foliage design. The top has a lively chinthe, a traditional Burmese stylized "lion" figure with a vine and leaf foliage border.

The outer box is 7 inches in diameter and 4 inches high...

This antique copper gau would have been kept in a prayer niche in the home and would be worn as an ornament for festival. In place of the Tsatsa (clay figure), there is a Tsakli. It was common practice to use a tsakli (small picture card) to represent the religious item which would be placed in the gau, when time and money became available. The original written talisman remains inside the gau also...

This old Chinese hand made carpenters tool would have been used as a snapline just as the western metal chalk box and line are used today. Such tools were often hand made and passed from father to son for generations. This particular one has a small antler for a plumbob.

This Tibetan gau (aka prayer box) is actually a small shrine. When not being worn as an ornament during festivals, it would be kept in the prayer niche of the family home. The back of the box slides open. Frequently, a special prayer i.e. sutra pages would be placed inside. The small glass window at the front displays a Tsa tsa, which is a clay statue of a Buddhist Deity. These statues were made only by the monks and considered to be a holy relic...

This baby carrier panel is a lovely old piece. Embroidered with a very intricate flowing pattern using silk floss and wrapped thread and satin stitch techniques. This piece is bordered with hand-loomed fabric. The back of the piece has recently been replaced. Condition is good 19" x 21.5

Being of both simple and elegant design, this small religious shrine is so typical of Japanese aesthetics. It is made from Cedar wood and dated on the back as "Showa, 2nd year, March 17. Approximately 5" high and 3" wide.

This rare antique Chinese Child's hat has it all From the Yi Chinese Ethnic Minority... Each surface is decorated with intricate hand embroidery and several silver ornaments

This old Chinese Miao ethnic minority child's hat is thickly padded for winter wearing. The red silk fabric with silk thread satin stitch embroidery really stands out. One silver butterfly ornament decorates the back of the hat and provides noise to protect the child from evil spirits. a bit dirty but hat is in very good condition.

There are a total of eight signs, each with a different "saying" having to do with well wishes. Due to the age of the calligraphy, and the vagueres of the old Chinese language, accurate translations have not been possible for each sign. Each sign is carved out of wood with raised wooden characters and inlayed with MOP flakes. Each is 21 inches tall and roughly 4.5 inches wide. I have listed them separately, to allow for pictures of each

In China, collars where made separately from the robe or garment. As such, the so-called cloud collars were used much like a necklace, allowing a single collar to be worn over various robes. This is a traditional Han Chinese style collar dates to the Qing dynasty period. The background fabric is white silk, bordered with black rolled trim. The collar is very finely embroidered with silk thread using predominately the satin embroidery stitch...

This pair of matching fans came from an old wealthy collectors estate..along with several others. This pair is in pristine condition with dark wood handles (possible zitan wood) and fan section is basket type weave of unknown plant fiber, the silk tassels have gold bindings...

This antique lamp was sourced from an old Buddhist Temple in Mongolia. It would have been used as a light source, commonly using fat but also occasionally using oil for fuel. The surfaces are rusted and corroded from centuries of use and weather, which gives the piece character and shows it to be an ethnographic artifact of cultures past and passing. Approx 8 inches wide across the rim of the base and approx 12 inches high. Weight is approx 4.5 lbs

This old Japanese Noh theater mask has the expressive face of an old man. The mask is carved from paulownia wood and dates to middle Edo period, around 1750. The patina is wonderful.

Mask measures approx 8 inches high and 6 inches wide

Though sourced from northern China, this antique powder flask is most likely Chinese ethnic minority from the southern regions. There are 3 flasks for carrying gun powder. Used rifle cartridges are used both as stoppers and bullets are held in the shaped spacers between the powder flasks. It was made by shaping and then sewing 2 pieces of heavy leather (probably elephant hide)together.

Finely carved and once elaborately painted, this antique figure was probably from a small shrine. Clearly used and handled over the years, piece still has some areas of original paint. Some residual of an inked signature on bottom. carving may be of a monk or other religious figure. Stands about 2 inches high.

Obvious hand carved, this antique Sarinda is missing the tuning pegs, and the animal skin covering...wonderful patina...This is rare collectors ethnographic piece, and looks great hanging on a wall.

24 x 9 x 7 inches...hand carved from one solid piece of wood.

The "Sarinda" musical instrument was used for centuries in various countries in Central Asia, primarily in Rajasthan (Northern India), Pakistan, Nepal, Afghanistan, and Baluchistan...

Barely used, this baby head cover was once attached to the upper part of a baby carrier so that it could be raised around the baby's head to protect it from the hot sun during a festival. Hand batiked with hand embroidered details, the border is decorated with rows of the tiniest hand stitching. measures 13.5 x 14.5 inches

This rare ceremonial Chinese "lock" necklace is Hmong ethnic minority. Made from pure bouillon silver, it over weighs 4.5 lbs. The Hmong Ethnic Minority group range from southern China into Northern Thailand. This piece was sourced out of China to a dealer sometime between 1920-1930. In both Chinese and ethnic minority cultures, the lock necklace acts as a talisman and symbolically "protects" the wearer from ill fortune, much as a lock on a piece of furniture will protect the contents inside...

This antique Japanese small drawstring fisherman's bag is woven from hand rolled cording using indigenous natural plant fibers. It would be used for carrying home the catch at the end of day. The bag shows some areas of staining and one small area near the bottom where a few fiber cords have split. these condition areas are to be expected of a folk art item of this age and use. ,,,,,

the bag is roughly 10 x 12 inches and has a generous amount of cording for adjustable straps.

This traditional Chinese antique tea container was made from bamboo. The outside has a carved rib design and was lacquered black. This tea caddy would have been used regularly by family and friends during the Qing dynasty. The inside lid is stamped with the manufacturers information.

The tea caddy is 10 inches tall and shows patinated wear marks and chips in the lacquer surface which would be expected on a piece of this age.

An artifact of past Chinese Culture, this old Abacus has hand made beads of what appears to be clay, specifically stoneware. The frame is a dark hardwood, probably walnut. It is approx 5 long.

This small hinged metal case is covered with leather and opens to display both red ink pot and personal ivory chop. The person's name on the base of the chop is clearly carved. Leather in old China was very expensive...the owner of this chop must been a person of both status and wealth. The leather shows age but is intact and set is in very good condition. The case measures 2.5" X 1+" This is a rare old piece.

This unusual Japanese lacquer clam shell is from Wakasa, a center for exceptional lacquer craftsmanship which began during the Edo period. At that time the lacquerers of the Obama clan, near Wakasa Bay, began decorating their work with designs depicting elements of the ocean floor, For techniques, the Wakasa craftsmen developed a process of repeated lacquer coatings of several colors and rubbing down the lacquer coated surface...

This antique childs toy was brought back from Chinese by an American Missionary during the early 19th century. The snake or possibly a dragon has jointed body which can easily be moved to assume different positions. Obviously hand carved in the Chinese folk art tradition, this toy is in excellant condition. It displays nicely on the custom made stand.

This old Chinese Ethnic Minority inro is carved from animal horn and has 2 compartments. Each side is carved with a floral motif that is bordered with a key design. These symbols are especially meaningful to the Miao ethnic culture. The inro was worn suspended from the belt by a braided cord. It is a attractive ethnographic relic for the tribal arts collector. Condition is very good and the piece measures approximately 3.5" X 2

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.

This tall bamboo incense holder is elaborately carved with a bird attacking a snake. The birds wings are out-stretched and spread around the container and the bird is being cheered on by a much smaller rooster. The carving is deep and detailed.

The holder is 12 inches tall and 4 inches in diameter and has a deep mahogany brown patina.

Toward the late Qing and early Republic periods, footbinding in urban centers became less common. But women were still concerned with fashionable footwear. This pair of beaded strips are actually shoes parts which would have been sewn with other matching beaded fabric parts to form a pair of beaded shoes

This is one of 2 hexagonal shaped tea cannisters which I have listed separately. This one has an incised scene of a mature bird on one side. The other side has 2 sentences from the famous Tang dynasty poem by Lu Tong. The bamboo has darkened considerably with age...

This Meiji period Japanese netsuke is hand carved and represents a mask of Okame aka Ko-omote the young girl of the Noh theater. Material appears to be ivory.

Simply beautiful...describes this Japanese lacquer tray table which would have been used for serving sake. From the Meiji period, the deep rich black roiro-nuri lacquer background sets the scene for the emaki-e gold paint depicting a landscape of trees, flowing water and hills.

pristine condition....8 inches high 9.5 inches wide and 9.5 inches deep

There are a total of eight signs, each with a different "saying" having to do with well wishes. Due to the age of the calligraphy, and the vagueres of the old Chinese language, accurate translations have not been possible for each sign. Each sign is carved out of wood with raised wooden characters and inlayed with MOP flakes. Each is 21 inches tall and roughly 4.5 inches wide. I have listed them separately, to allow for pictures of each

This pair of Japanese dolls was gifted to America official who was sent to Japan to help reestablish tea industry after the war. wonderful condition: total display is 30 inches across, 10 inches deep and 14.5 inches high. The double platform is 4.5 inches of the total height.

This antique cast iron 2 piece censer retains much of its original red paint. The inside bottom of the censor bowl is somewhat pitted from use. The chop marks are unrecogizable. The piece is 10 inches in diameter and 2.5 inches high.

This blanket shaped Miao ethnic minority baby carrier is from Jian He and is a good example of the whorl pattern which was so significant to the Chinese Minority. Made from hand-loomed plant fibers (maybe cotton, maybe bast fibers) the surface is heavily decorated with appliques edged with chain stitching. This carrier is in good condition showing a minimum of wear and dirt and it 80+ years old