Catalog: Antiques: Regional Art (482)

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.

Hanging from the belt on a leather strap, the stylized milking hook was the essential item of ornamentation for any Tibetan woman properly dressed for a festival. Surrounding the hook surface is a heavy etched silver band. The bronze/brass hook has is etched with markings and is inset with 5 large beads, set in silver bezels. The original leather strap shows lots of wear.

These ceremonial hooks have become hard to obtain...

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 rural Mongolian bucket is made from lemon wood and was used daily to draw water from the local village well. Truely an ethnographic relic with original iron fittings, and evidence of constant use and old repairs. It is both large and heavy. The diameter of the bucket is 18" and the bucket alone is 14" deep, add another 11" for the handle and iron toggle fitting. The weight is approx 15 lbs. Originally made about 250 yrs ago and probably used constantly for a couple of centuries.

This is an old Chinese inkstone has hand carved ox with head turned toward the natural "dragon's eye" moon. There are some chips along the edges of the ink stone and areas of natural inclusions. It is a very fine grain quality stone, dating to the early 1800's and measures 6 x 4.5 inches, and a bit over .5 inches thick.

The cabinet is dark brown lacquer possibly over-painted. There are mother of pearl inlay of very old Chinese calligraphy characters on the doors and drawer front... with no translation available. There is a copper/bronze decorative latch on the cabinet doors. This cabinet would have been used in a prayer niche and would have held religious objects 32 x 13 x 7 inches.

This antique Mongolian belt evokes the image of Mongolian horseman galloping across the plains... The chain is heavily patinated from age and use. The deeply doomed central medallion retains the original stained dark finish and highlighted gold (unknown source) on the border and central decoration. This piece is heavy... the central medallion is 6+ inches across,3.5 inches wide, and 3+ inches deep.

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

This Meiji period Japanese vase has ginbari panels accenting the neck and wide goldstone band with gin-bari flowers.

Vase is 8 inches tall and is in pristine condition

This is a charming old cloisonne teapot from the later part of the Qing Dynasty in China. During this time period the traditions and culture of tea making and drinking had evolved to include the appreciation of tea articles as art objects in addition to their utilitarian purposes. This well crafted miniture teapot would have been sought after for its sculptural form.

Each side of the body of the teapot has a different floral motif with a background pattern of clouds traditional Ruyi...

Animal horns carved and shaped this way were used by herders and farmers to give a sick animal liquid medicine. This yak horn was bought in China but was probably made used the Tibetans. Judging from its size, this horn is from a mature (older) Yak...The tip is carved into a delicate animal head ...there are a few surface growth stress cracks on the under side which would be common for a large older animal. horn from tip to end is 11 inches and has good translucence

During the Qing Dynasty, hair combs like this were commonly used. The structure is bone and the tines are of wood. A few tines have gone missing with age and use. The comb is about 5 inches x 2 inches.

The charming old tribal womans purse is heavily embroidered on each side and is decorated with mirrors and cowrie shells. Condition is very good, no rips, no tears, just beautifully faded vegetable dyes.

Possibly made from an old kimono, this sweet drawstring purse charming painted and appliqued scenes of trees, rocks and flowers going around the body of the purse. The bottom shows a country gentleman sitting on a rock under a tree enjoying the mountain view. overall condition is very good, however the fabric sleeve for the drawstring is deteriorated. Purse measures 7" across bottom

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 antique Chinese wooden carved pedestal stand with attached mirror dates is from the late Qing dynasty. This piece of furniture would have sat on a dresser or chest. The carving is high quality and begins at the base. The mid section carving displays a dragon and pagoda. The frame of the circular mirror has bats carved all around.

This piece has been held in storage by a Texas collector and is in excellent condition...

This traditional Dayak medicine container is made in 2 pieces. The upright piece is carved from wood representing ancestor spirits at the prow of a boat. The horizontal piece is a carved animal horn, presumably goat. The original wooden hinge pin has been replaced with a new piece of wood as the old one was broken and unusable. Dayak is the general name used for the various indigenous tribal groups living in Borneo, which is now called Kalimantan.

This Qing Dynasty enamel box is from the late 1800's and was made for export...The bottom has incised stamp of China as required by McKinley Tariff Act. The box is silver over copper with an intricate enamel scene on the top and all four sides. The quality of the enamel work is very good. The interior of the box is lined with wood...Box measures 5.75 x 3.75 x 1.75 inches