Catalog: Antiques: Regional Art: Asian (4821)

Antique Japanese small lacquer tebako (accessory box). Rectangular form with rounded edges and decorated with Chrysanthemums on the lid. The whole box is covered inside and out with a dense gold nishiji background. The rim of both the lid and the body of the box are edged in bronze.

Edo Period (18th century)

Dimensions: 2 1/8" high x 3 5/8" long x 3 1/8" wide

Antique pair of small bronze seated Qilin. Cast with heads facing upward and mouths open. Details of scales and striated tails. Each has a single horn. As scholar objects, it is possible that these were once used as scroll weights. Each Qilin stands on an antique carved hardwood stand.

Provenance Zelig Collection

16th Century: Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644)
Dimensions: 3" high (bronze only) 4" high including stand x 3 3/4" long

Antique Himalayan tall yak butter lamp. Made of hand hammered copper with gilt bronze applied details depicting Buddhist auspicious symbols. The butter would have melted and burned for a measured amount of time depending on the size and the amount in the lamp. A small hole in the bottom of the cup would have held a sort of wick to provide a long lasting light. Overall repouse details are in great detail. Original patina...

Antique Chinese bronze censer with oval form body, high neck and rounded rectangular mouth. Standing on four feet with heads of mythical creatures. A band with a swirling motif in low relief encircles the middle of the censer. The neck of the censer is also decorated with a wave motif in a band of low relief. The lid is pierced for incense smoke and topped with a sitting Qilin.

17th Century, Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644)
Dimensions: 8" high x 5 1/2" wide x 4" wide

Antique Japanese kannon biraki isho tansu (chest on chest with hinged doors for storing clothing). Made with all keyaki (elm) wood on the front. Sugi (cryptomeria) wood on the sides and top. The top portion of the tansu has hinged doors which open to reveal two large drawers. The bottom section has two large exterior drawers and a safe box with a hinged door in the lower right hand side. Inside the safe box are three small drawers...

Antique Japanese low table made all of carved keyaki (elm) wood. The top is made of a single piece of dramatically grained wood with the edges carved to create a gnarled burl effect. The legs are also made of solid keyaki wood and carved with rounded feet. Original deep orangish red translucent lacquer finish.

Taisho Period (early 20th century)

Dimensions: 13 1/2" high x 71 1/2" long x 38" wide

Antique Chinese blanc de chine censer of a Qilin. Made of porcelain and glazed white, this Blanc de Chinese piece is from the Fujin Province of China. The Qilin sits on his haunches with his head turned over one shoulder. On the underside of the creature is an opening and two tube-like incense holders for joss (stick) incense. The smoke from the incense would have come up through the nose and open mouth of the Qilin...

Antique Chinese bronze water dropper in the form of a crawling baby. Cast in bronze with details of traditional baby clothing tied at the back of the neck. The baby crawls forward with one leg slightly bent, elbows on the ground and face forward. When submerged, water would have flowed into the dropper through he hole in the baby's back...

Antique Chinese bronze incense holder for joss (stick or agarabathi) incense in the form of Laozi riding a water buffalo. Laozi is widely celebrated as the founder of Taoism and the author of Tao Te Ching, a significant treaty on Chinese cosmology. According to legend, Laozi left China for the west riding a water buffalo. In this small bronze incense holder, Laozi sits on the back of the animal, his robes flowing around him...

Antique Chinese bronze figure of a seated immortal. He sits with robes flowing out around him. He holds a ruyi scepter in his right hand and another round object in his left. Kindly expression and elongated earlobes.

17th Century: Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644)

Dimensions: 3" high

Antique Chinese small bronze scroll weight of a seated man. He is squatting on his heals with hands clasped together over his chest. Wearing flowing robes tied with a chord.

17th Century: Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644)

Dimensions: 2 1/4" high

Antique Chinese small bronze censer in the form of a recumbent qilin. Possible used as a brush rest or for burning incense. Open on the bottom, the incense smoke would have come up through the qilin's open mouth. Subtle details include incised scales and a single horn.

17th Century: Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644)

Dimensions: 3" high x 3 1/4" long

Antique Japanese gold lacquer inro with 4 compartments. Decorated with a scene depicting a cottage high in the mountains. On one side, a small stream meanders by a thatched roof building with doors opening to a garden surrounded by a low fence and opened by a tall gate. A large, blossoming plum tree stretches it's branches dramatically over the roof and a mist floats over the top of the scene. The other side of the inro depicts a churning river with ragged outcroppings of rock...

Japanese inro with 5 compartments decorated all around with a scene of a mountain stream running down hill through rocks and low tree branches. On one side of the inro, the stream falls over rocks and continues on the other side of the inro in a striated current. Various trees including blossoming fruit trees and pines spring from the rocks. Pine saplings emerge from a gold mist in the foreground. Created with a fine raised gold maki-e lacquer technique and inlaid with gold metal flecks...

Antique Japanese choba tansu from the Matsumoto area. Made of keyaki (elm) wood with dramatic grain. The top portion of the tansu has two drawers. Below this is a compartment on the left opened by two sliding panels with horizontal slats. On the right hand side of the chest and continuing on to the bottom portion of the tansu, is a series of various sized drawers, the lowest of which spans the width of the tansu...

Japanese antique choba tansu (merchant's chest) from the Gifu area. Made with all kuri (chestnut) wood front, hinoki (Japanese cypress) wood on the sides and top. The upper portion of the chest has a full width drawer over a compartment covered by two sliding panels with horizontal slats. The lower portion of the chest has a series of 4 drawers of various sizes on the left and a hinged safe box door on the right hand side. The safe box door opens to reveal 2 small interior drawers. All har...

Antique Japanese mizuya (kitchen tansu) in two sections. The frame is made of hinoki (Japanese cypress) wood with a very smooth grain. Sliding panels and drawer fronts are made of keyaki (elm) wood with dramatic grain. The top section has a large compartment that runs the width of the chest and is covered by 4 sliding panels with keyaki burl wood. The next compartment down is larger and is covered by 2 large sliding panels with decorative cut outs backed with keyaki wood. On the right is ...

An antique Japanese Mizuya (kitchen) Tansu single section made of keyaki wood. The top section has four sliding panels. The mid section has 5 medium sized drawers. The lower section has two large sliding panels. Adjacent to the panels is a small drawer and hinged door with a large compartment.

Date: early Meiji (19th Century)

Dimensions: 67" tall X 76" wide X 21" deep.