Puppet of a Mandarin. Beautiful costume ( dragoon), part of headdress mobile ,
Old native repairs with metal at the left leg, some old leather's ties (see pix), Sha'anxi. 19th C. 31 cms

Very old Chinese Shadow Puppet of a General; very thick water buffalo leather. Beautiful headdress with animal and complete original costume.
Old native repairs with leather and metal in headdress, neck and banner (see pix) ; 33 cms. Sha'anxi, 19th C. or before.

Beautiful antique Chinese leather pair of armchairs for shadow puppet's theaters ; floral designs and bats. 12x16 cms each. Shaanxi, 19th C.

One very humorous horses's head and 3 buffoon's heads.
Made of buffalo leather, Shanxi area.
Height: Horse MAH-C-TA1: 7 cms Buffoons: MAH-C-TB2: 6 cms; MAH-C-TB4: 9,5 cms; MAH-C-TB6: 9 cms .
Can be bought one by one of course.

Big antique cantonese puppet of a man ; very fine features, worn cloth (holes, patches) with brodery (a lot missing at the back) and Chinese characters inside (see pix) ; the piece of bamboo supporting the cloth is present. One hand only, also very old.
H of head : 13 cms and W : 10 cms, South of China, 19th C.

Beautiful and tall glove puppet ; every part is ancient, the head being the oldest part, at least 19thC.
H. of the puppet : 45 cms, H. of the head ( to the base of the neck): 11 cms, W. of the head : 5 cms . South of China.

Very charming three figure ensemble of a king with two female attendants. One attendant holds a fan that moves. The male figure's head nods. They wear white and pink clothes with gold details. Measures 8" wide at base.

Sometimes assumed by Westerners as "medical models" these are Chinese fertility dolls. As ritual items, they rarely come onto the market. Used by several Chinese ethnic minority cultures, including the Miao, Yao and Naxi, the old fertility dolls were hand carved, anatomically correct and with pegged and jointed limbs. The hair styles and head gear would vary depending on the minority group...

This Chinese Door of Hope doll, along with several others, was brought back to the US during the 1920's by the American Baptist Missionary, Rebecca Cloud-Stewart. On one of her many trips back to the US to visit family and friends, she brought the collection of dolls as samples to sell and raise money for the Door of Hope orphanage. After many years in China, Miss Stewart returned permenently to her home in Georgia...

This charming adult female Door of Hope doll is 11 inches tall. Her face is somewhat darkened with age and the lower fronts of her trouser legs are faded from sunlight. She has all of her original clothing layers. Her top tunic is a bit dirty in the front and has a small tear at the rear of the right sleeve. Yet, even with these "condition problems" she retains the quiet beauty which has made the door of hope dolls such a collectors treasure.

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...

This Chinese doll was made with a wire body covered with fabric padding and then silk clothing. His heads, lower arms and feet are made from some kind of composition material and then painted. Because of his wire construction, his arms, legs, and body 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...

18th Century Pottery Figure of Doll Terracotta.good conditions. size: 7,5cm high

Antique Chinese marionette puppet depicting an opera character. This nobleman is dressed a red silk robe embroidered with a golden dragon and raised lotus. A Shou (longevity symbol) is embroidered in gold on his chest. He stands on tall carved wooden shoes and has long white silk sleeves. With custom metal stand.

Age: Qing Dynasty (circa 1900)

Dimensions: 19 1/4" high (on stand) x 9" wide x 8" deep

During is height of popularity in the Qing Dynasty, when one went to the opera, souvenir dolls were often purchased. This pair of Chinese opera dolls is probably the oldest that I have seen. Both dolls are in fragile condition. They are mounted on separate stands which may be of the same age as the dolls. They have been together for over 100 years and I am not willing to separate them