Catalog: Antiques: Regional Art (482)

The top of this black lacquer Japanese box is heavily carved with leaves and foliage. The carved oval cinnabar panel in the center depicts a long and stable marriage scene. The standing wife has just served her sitting husband tea in the garden, outside the house surrounded by mountains. The four sides of the box are carved with continuous textile design.

The box is 5.5 inches x 4.75 inches and 2+ inches high.

This assortment of cosmetic brushes along with the small container was originally part of a large cosmetic set which would have been commissioned for the a wealthy Japanese bridal trousseaux. Many layers of the rich black roiro-nuri lacquer was applied and polished to achieve the deep lusterious tone. The brushes are accented with a 2 and 3 tone golden floral motif. None of the brushes show any signs of use...

This antique Chinese lock has a nicely patinated surface and is is working order. Measures 3.8 inches across.

This Rondel was most likely cut from a Qing dynasty antique Chinese robe, this rondel was bordered. The silk is slightly faded but in good condition. The satin stitch embroidery is clear and clean with no stains. Rondel is 16 inches diameter

Each band of this pair of very fine silk embroideries have 2 sets mirror images: one set of floral motif and the other set of a couple celebrating. Both sets use satin stitch, french knot (aka forbidden stitch) and couching embroidery techniques. The embroideries are on a background fabric of fine patterned silk which measures 6" by 15". The floral embroidery is 1.5 x 2" and the couple embroidery is 1.5 x 5"...

This well used pair of Chinese woman's Lotus shoes for bound feet has embroidered satin stitch floral motif on both sides of the toe. The soles have nice stitch detail

In China, older age was/is respected and valued... During the late Qing Dynasty, many wealthier Chinese used eyeglasses to appear older...sometimes clear glass lenses were used for those with good eyesight Personally, I never colored my hair before traveling to China.... This eyeglass case was carved from water buffalo horn...It has the original hand twisted string and a small movable stop.... and a few minor scratches from use and age

This traditional tribal comb would be worn for festival by Yao ethnic minority woman of Southern China. The comb was carved from sections of bone which are held together with a twining technique. The bone sections are tatooed with traditional Yao design pattern. The comb alone is 5.5 inches long and 3 inches wide. The combined length with the pompom and tassels is almost 12 inches long.

For centuries, before there was electricity, throughout Asia, Puppetry Arts were a popular form of traveling entertainment... A platform with a cloth screen, lit from the back by candlelight, provided the stage.... The shadow images were black against the white "background". Hence, the puppets had a minimum of color and only the necessary intricate cut outs for personality as they were sometimes presented to the audience with the "handlers" after a performance...

Instead of shoes, sandals such as these were worn in villages throughout India. Hand carved from indigenous woods, frequently teak and fitted to the individual wearer. The knob on the toe prevented the sandals from falling off and no other attachment was used.

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.

This small hand painted picture on cloth, called a Tsakli was used for Buddhist religious instruction and rituals in Tibet. The back of the card has Tibetan writing...Obvious condition issues...This card and others listed on this site were all antique cards when they were brought out of Tibet in the 60's...card is 3 x 3.5 inches

During the 1800's and early 1900's, "Rocaille beads" from southern France were brought into the coastal regions of southern China and used to bead various accessory articles such as headbands purses and shoes... The area of China known as the "staits" became famous for such beaded items. ...

This is a Qing Dynasty woman's skirt which has been Adapted for western wear. The 2 panels of the skirt have been sewn together and the original waist band has been narrowed. The skirt easily wraps around the hips so that the flat sections were displayed at at the front and back....the pleated sections hang at draped the sides.....

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 pair of black silk lotus shoes date to the late Qing Dynasty. Back then, a woman's job was to make shoes for the members of her family. This woman was from a financially comfortable family with servants to do other household chores. Making this pair for herself, she choose a black silk satin fabric for the vamp and made an elegantly sloping sole which would accommodate separate inter changeable heels to be attached...

Suspended from a small leather belt loop, this old Mongolian pipe pouch has trekked a long way. This ethnographic relic was clearly hand-made, with a simple closure of leather thongs tied into a traditional knot, and a few beads add a decorative element. For pipe cleaning, there is added piece of twisted metal wire decorated with green thread. Approx 12" long and about 3" at the widest point. It is a relic from a nomadic ethnic culture and its condition.....

This lacquered leather pillow would have been owned by a wealthy family during the Qing dynasty. Each end has a hand painted floral design with Chinese "well wishing" saying.