Catalog: Antiques: Regional Art (482)

This antique traditional tribal dagger was made and used by the Manding people who are indigenous to the Western Sudan region of Africa. The dagger is 10 inches long and has a leather covered pommel. The blade is dulled and rusted with a small bend at the tip. The original matching scabbard has traditionally woven worked leather decoration with belt loop and tassel.

During the Qing dynasty, an essential part of the Chinese woman's costume was the doodoo, which was worn covering the chest. This one is fine silk with lovely embroidery and is lined with traditional blue silk. It measures 16 inches across and 17 inches high. excellant condition

This set of 3 dolls court dolls are each mounted on their original matching stands. Wonderful carved wooden faces with gofun finish. The hands and feet are also carved from wood. A charming set...each doll with the stand is about 6 inches tall.

This old Japanese hand made sack (basket,bag) was made by a rural farmer or fisherman out of cotton cording. Handle holes were worked into the upper band which would have allowed for the changing of worn out handles. There is obvious wear and fading from use and age. The bag measures almost 11 x 15 inches It is Wonderful old ethnographic example of rural Japanese textile folk art

This charming round Japanese antique serving tray is 11 inches in diameter. A delicate gold leaf design is painted around the outside tray rim and extends down onto the 3 shapely legs. The top edge of the rim is gold and separates the outside black lacquer from the traditional red/orange lacquer interior of the the tray. The red, black and gold lacquer paints are somewhat dulled with age and exposure. An old type written label on the bottom of the tray dates the tray to 1830...

This antique pair of earrings are from the Miao Chinese Ethnic minority. For me the shape and thick "wires" add to the design of the earring...some groups of the Miao purposely expanded the size of the ear lobe holes to accomadate... I prefer to keep things in their original condition. I have used these in my "favorites" display case... the earring spann 2 inches x 2 inches x .5 inches. Assumbed to be low grade silver which was typically used in old China...

This Indonesian container would have been carried by a man using the handmade string as a shoulder strap. The "purse" was hand carved out of a local hardwood and both the top and bottom have decorative details.

The container sits stably on it base but can also be hung on the wall as an interesting sculpture artifact.

Approximately 9 inches high, 7.5 inches across and 4 inches deep.

In old China, a carpenter's tools were also considered as an symbol of the quality of his craftsmanship. This antique carpenter's tool has a hand carved dragon with some of the original paint remaining in the crevasses. The plumb bob is made from a section of animal antler. The old Chinese carpenter would fill the bowl with charcoal and it would be used to snap a straight line...

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...

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.

Charming eggshell thin hand-painted scenic porcelain in excellent condition..makers mark on bottom of both cup and saucer

This antique pair of wooden spoons were hand carved and delicately shaped. The handles are deeply arched and the ends are painted with a gilded paint. They were heavily covered with a clear lacquer finish.

This antique Korean serving tray would have been used for serving tea or individual meals. The signature characters on the bottom are followed by the symbol for "student", presumably the tray was carved by an apprentice. The bottom also has rough darken areas for a more secure gripping surface and shallow attached feet which also have rough bottoms.

The tray has a delicately upturned lip, a deep rich red brown color. It is approx 13" x 9.5 inches...

This antique hat from Afghanistan is heavily decorated with variety of old Middle Eastern coins.

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

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 old Chinese container would have been used by a poor farmer or fisherman to carry his lunch, and tea while he was off working for the day. The main container has 2 sections and there is an additional rimmed tray which fits just inside below the tightly fitted lid. All 3 pieces are made from very tightly woven from 2 different types of plant materials...

This small antique Chinese wooden storage container was used for calligraphy implements. Inksticks would have been held in the rear center compartment. Calligraphy brushes would have been held upright on the right and left side compartments. Seals or chops would have been stored in the lidded section. Originally painted with black lacquer, this piece has great age and wear patina.

This ancient "Boat Money", also called Lat money, is similar to Tiger Tongues and from the same area: Lan Chang Kingdom of Southeast Asia (Thailand & Laos today, back then Siam). Instead of the bumps seen on Tiger Tongues, boat money has a depression in the top and looks more like a boat, hence the name. Boat money was first issued in the 16th century. In 1707, Lan Chang divided into the two kingdoms of Luang Prabang and Vientiane...

This is a charming stoneware Japanese bowl censor from 1750. It fits perfectly into the hand carved wooden stand which was probably made for the incense burner around 1900. There are no makers marks on either the bowl on the stand for identification. Covered with a thick matte gray white glaze with iron flecks and decorated solely with 3 button tabs below the rim, the censor is a wonderful early example of Japanese mingei stoneware ceramics.

This Japanese Meiji period 6 sided porcelain chocolate pot was made for export to the Western markets. The chocolate pot has a lovely traditional Japanese scene which was hand painted, with bits of moriage detail. Excellent condition, no chips, no cracks, pot is 9.5 inches tall. There are 3 matching cups and saucers will be listed separately.

Dated by McKinley Tariff Act requiring name of country of origin to be permanently engraved (stamped) or imprinted into a piece.

This beautiful antique short strand of beads would have been carried in the pocket and taken out for ritual religious prayer...2 spacer counter beads are honey amber and the 3rd is red coral...

This traditional Chinese woman's headband was made and worn during the Qing Dynasty toward the end of the 19th century. It has an applique embroidered butterfly on each end and a large full kingfisher feathered medallion in the center. The lotus shaped kingfisher is 4 inches x 2 inches. The entire headband in 16 inches in length.

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...roughly 3.75 x 3.5 inches

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.

This lovely antique Indo Persian box is covered with silver and bronze elaborate damascene work on the top and 4 sides. The box lid is slightly domed and the inside is lined with wood. Made in what was Persia, now Bidar India, this box dates to the early part of the 19th century, and is an fine example of Damascene metal work. In excellent condition, the box is 6.5 inches x 3.5 inches x 2 inches high...

Very fine small cloisonne tray dates to late 19th century Qing Dynasty. Made for export conforming with McKinley Tariff Act requirements 1890-1914..Tray has very ornate cloisonne enamel design Measures 3 inches x 3 inches x .7 inches high

This apron is from the Huan Xi area and was part of the traditional Miao ethnic minority woman's festival costume. Made from home spun fibers,indigo dyed yarn, it is embroidered with tiny intricate cross stitch geometric design...the ties are also hand woven. The apron measures approx 17 x 17 inches and is in good condition...with a few very light stains which do not show on photo with enhancing...

These 3 Japanese porcelain cups and saucers were hand painted with a delicate landscape scene. They are the matching set to the previously listed Japanese chocolate pot dealers number J157 or troc #1008113. Thought the set was made for chocolate, it can easily be used for tea.

This adult female puppet is clothed in traditional Thai costume with a open shirt. All parts are hand-carved, tied and strung together, which gives the puppeteer lots of choices of movement. The face has eyes which can open and close independent of each other and the mouth can also be opened and closed. Head to toe, she measures is 21 inches tall and with the strings the total lenght is 34 inches...

This old Japanese hook would have been suspended over the hearth and used to hang cooking pots over the fire. Obviously used by a rural farm family, this pothook or jizai kagi would have been hung by a rope above the fireplace, and the hook has been "firepolished" from years of use.

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.

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 rare Qing Dynasty mirror folds flat for storage and traveling. The hand-carved wooden frame depicts bamboo stalks, and the mirror cover carving depicts an iris plant in full bloom. The cover drops forward and down thru the legs to the rear where it acts as a back support while the mirror is in use. Protected by a rear wood panel, the original silvered glass mirror does show its age...

This Chinese antique wood carving was possibly part of an architectural structure or possibly from a piece of furniture. The wood is approximately 1.3 inches thick and retains much of the original finish though it is obviously worn in some areas. The tradition carvings of 2 dragons chasing the pearl is very well done. The piece is about 5 inches high and 17 inches long.

This traditional Chinese antique tea container was made from bamboo. The outside has a carved rib design. This tea caddy would have been used regularly by family and friends during the Qing dynasty. Some minimal loss of finished surface on top ...to be expected with age and use...9.5 inches high