The lovely floral motif has been very delicately embroidered on the silk background fabric of both the toe and the back of the heel of this small lotus shoe. I suspect that the mate to this shoe was lost early by the original owner because this shoe shows very little sign of wear. The leather heel and toe tips are missing. Many Westerners believe that red lotus shoes were worn only by the bride at for her wedding...

Suspended from its original black silk knotted cord this antique Chinese toggle has a tiny bell dangling from each side. There is a small coral bead and a large turquoise bead dangling from the center. The silver colored metal is assumed to be low grade. the assembledge measures 3 inches from the first bead to the bottom bell drop. the cord and knot add another 3 inches.

This charming old doll was produced in China during the 20's and 30's for the European and US market but this one was actually brought to the US by a military family stationed in Japan. The costume is elaborately embroidered using both satin and couching embroidery stitches. The tightly fitted shoes are fabric and could be removed but never have been. The head and hands are made of wood composition matterial...

This Yi Ethnic Minority loincloth is from the Chinese island of Hainan. Handwoven and then finely embroidered, this cloth would have been handwoven and embroidered by a young girl and presented to the boy whom she was interested in. If he accepted the gift and wore it, he was also interested in her.

This garment is over 85 years old. It is 9 inches wide and approximately 48 inches long without the fringe.

The 100 Bird Cape is sometimes mistaken by Westerners as a Miao baby carrier. In fact, the 100 bird cape is a man's garment. It would be worn on the back, over the 100 bird coat for special festivals. They are somewhat rare. Not all men could afford (actually the wives) the time and matterials to make such a garment. It takes over a year to collect the feathers for the cape because the feathers must come from birds which were ritually sacrificed. This is a particularly rare cape...

This old Chinese ceramic pipe bowl (smoke chamber) would have been placed onto the smoking pipe to allow for a small piece of opium to be smoked. The tiny opening at the top would allow the smoke to be drawn into the stoneware chamber and cooled before being inhaled by the smoker.

The 8 sided glazed stoneware bowl has incised key border, 6 calligraphy panels and 2 raised mask panels. The top and bottom are devoid of surface decoration. The piece is It is 2 inches diameter and 1.5 inches high...

Charming Miao child's hat. Silver butterfly with 3 bells in rear to scare away evil spirits, Silver "top knot" with petals to look like flower. Excellant silk thread embroidery. Perfect condition...approx 65 years old.

These antique Chinese hand carved wooden plate display stands are from the Qing dynasty. The front of the stand has an ornate pair of foo dogs playing with a ball. There are slender grooves cut into the inside edge to accommodate the rim of a plate with a diameter of approximately 16.5 cm (about 6.5inches). The back support for the plate has a cleverly designed wooden swing hinge which is also removable...

This antique Japanese tea caddy is called a "Cha-ire" and dates from the late Edo period. It was used for storing thick tea which is called "Koicha". The more common tea caddy form or "natsume" was used for powdered or thin tea. The chai-ire forms vary somewhat and were most typically made from clay.

Both the octagonal shape and lacquer finish make this chaire very rare. It is also lovely...

This is a traditional Buddhist Lama's hat from Tibet. It is made from hand-knotted pile of cotton fiber, which is gathered to form a crest. There are no rips or tears but the fabric shows areas of dirt from wear. This dramatic looking ethnographic artifact makes a great display piece. It measures approx 24" from the height of the crest to the bottom of the lower straps.

This 6 sided pair of Chinese cloisonne vases are in pristine condition. They stand 19 inches high and the top flairs to 10 inches. circa 1860-1880

This Dong festival hat is wonderfully embroidered with wrapped thread technique. It is further embellished with gold and silver bits edging the fabric design. At the back is the traditional silver ornament of butterfly and hanging bells to keep evil spirit away