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 charming pair of antique wooden nesting display stands dates to the late 1800's during the Qing Dynasty. Delicately carved figures and landscape details are raised from the background and a carefully lacquer painted scene reveals a woman with a crane on the smaller stand and 2 men playing chess under a tree on the larger stand.

Both stands are 3.6 inches deep, the larger one is 6 inches long and 1.5 inches high, the smaller one is 4.7 inches long and 1 inch tall.

These antique Chinese hat stands are carved from an unknown wood. Their interlocking parts can be separated easily, so they may have been designed for traveling. They can be sold separately or in groups and used to "show off" your hat collection or as interesting artifacts of Qing dynasty culture.

The hat stand on the left side comes apart into 2 pieces and stands 11" high.

The stand on the right also comes apart into 3 sections with 2 pieces in each section. This stand is 12" tall.

According to the writing on the back, this small embroidered pencil holder in was made in 1897 by a Mrs Lee for M.J. Thomas who was a member of the Chinese Chicago Mission group. The embroidery stitches are tiny and some of the threads are frayed but it is a warm memento of friendship and an artifact from another era in relations between China and the US.

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 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...

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 coral beads, each set in a silver bezel. The original leather strap shows lots of wear.

These ceremonial hooks have become hard to obtain...

Made of iron, this antique Japanese mobile candle stand, known as a teshoku, dates from the Edo period. So typical of the old Japanese ethnographic objects, the design of this single candle holder is totally simple and wonderfully functional. With a lighted candle, this candlestand could be easily carried about the house by use of long very gently curved handle. When set in down, the placement of the 3 legs makes it very stable to minimize chances of it being accidentally knocked over...

This Chinese pinafore style garment would have been worn by a small girl child of the Dong ethnic minority in Shui Kou. Fabric is handwoven from cotton fiber, hand stitched with intricate decorative applique work and hand woven snowflake pattern ribbon accents the border. No rips, no tears, and no holes...but this piece is old and has been worn and is a bit "dirty".... and still has its original ties. It is 14 inches wide and 21 inches long...great ethnographic textile for framing.

This pair of woman's Lotus shoes for bound feet have the high attached heel and upturned toe typical of the style during the later 19th century. Tiny stitches and the careful embroidery on a cotton background fabric indicate that this pair was made by a woman with limited finances.

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 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.