Catalog (110)

This knife sheath would be hung from the woven shoulder strap by the hill tribe hunter. This one was brought back from the border region by a friend. Now heavily patinated with use and age, it was beautifully hand made many years ago and was both light weight and serviceable. It is a wonderful artifact of an age and culture that is rapidly disappearing.

This pair of antique Miao boots were made by a young woman from Song Tao to be worn for festivals. The thick sole has iron hob nails to make walking easier on the hills and terraces. The vamp is made from cotton fabric and is heavily embroidered with cottton thread using satin and chain stitch techniques. The upper part of the boot is also made of cotton fabric.

This textile wallet would have been used to keep sewing supplies Each page is made from heavy hand paper, hand painted decoration and folded in such a way that numerous pockets and flaps are available for storage of small bits of fabric, snipes of thread, needles, etc. the outside of the wallet is covered with homespun fabric which now attests to the age and use of the piece. This wallet is from the Dong ethnic minority of China, and would have been passed down from one generation to another...

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.

Possibly from Yueli are of Nandan county, this antique Chinese ethnic minority Miao top could have been worn for every day It has hand batiked front and back panels and the front apron has hand embroidery accents on the batiked section. Pic 1 shows the back with the "apron"extention which extends to the top of the knees... Pic 2 show the front which ends at the waist... Fits a small woman and I mean small or could be used as a striking wall piece...

This hand carved wooden comb belonged to a Miao Chinese minority women with limited means. Comb would have been worn horizontally between the top of the woman's head and under the twisted bun of her hair. Comb is decorated with symbols which a burned into the wood. comb is 5 x 4 inches

This hand woven traditional childs top was worn by the children of China's Yi ethnic minority group living in Ma Li Po. It is in excellent condition with wonderfully detail batik work

Carved out of Bamboo this Buddha is 13.5 inches high,5 inches wide and 4 inches deep. He is a wonderfully carved example of folk art tradition with very gentle countenance.

This old panel is thickly Dazi embroidered in a banded pattern to reflect the terraced mountains sides of the Miao homeland. The panel uses lovely soft pinks and grays which are not adequately represented in the pictures. A beautiful piece in beautiful condition. 80 years old from Ge Yi. approx 21" x 23"

This is a page from the rare Burmese Buddhist Sutra manuscript called the the KAMMAVACA. The pages of these religious sutras were made from a thin strip of bamboo covered with cloth (frequently monks robes) which was thickly coated with red lacquer and gold leaf decoration. Lacquer from tamarind seed was used for the square black lettered text which is in the now extinct Burmese religious script of Pali. The small hole on the page allows a string to bind the various pages of the sutra toget...

From the Yi ethnic minority group, this antique Chinese container would have been used to store tobacco. The decorative cinnabar paint color draws attention to the gentle dome shapes of the lid and bottom sections, which fit together with a deep overlap. The worn areas of the cinnabar expose the black lacquer undercoat. As a folk art object, this tobacco container combines both the pleasing aesthetic craftsmanship and utilitarian need which shaped the daily lives of many indigenous ethnic gro...

Several of the Southeast Asian hilltribes from the "Golden Triangle" region would practice tattooing as body art and religious ritual. This Burmese tattoo tool with the figure head was used to scratch the skin surface and apply the dye.

Long lengths of treads or first braided into a "tape" and then the tape is tightly sewn to a background in elaborate pattern to depict various elements of Miao legends and myths.

This Shui childs hat is very heavily and intricately embroidered using wrapped cotton thread. The base background blue and black fabric has a subtle pattern which takes extra care and attention while weaving on the loom. a series of silver ornamental "bubbles" further decorates the front lower border of the hat. Over 60 years old and in very good condition it will make a wonderful addition to any collection

This antique pair of earrings are from the Miao Chinese Ethnic minority The original "wires" are a bit thick and buyer may want to change them to accomodate contemporary pierced ears... Assumbed to be low grade silver which was typically used in old China... the cubes have the same decorative elements on all 4 sides...each cube has a series of drop dangles hanging from the bottom full length of earings 2 inches ....not including the wires

This is presumed to be central panel taken from 100 bird coat from the Bai Ling area. It has been bordered and backed by new fabric. The central panel is very tightly split-thread satin-stitched embroidery over a silk felted (non-woven) fabric. This piece is in pristine condition, and measures approximately 30" by 30"

The Chinese people smoked both opium (thanks to the British) and tobacco. This antique pipe was made and used by the ethnic minority of the mountain region of SW China.

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...