Antique pair of Chinese official's hat arm chairs, made of huanghuali wood with intricately woven rattan seats. Carved cusped edged apron. Dramatic grain.

Provenance: From the collection of the Santa Barbara Museum.

17th century

Dimensions: 44" high x 18 7/8" wide x 17" deep. Seat: 20 1/2" high.

Japanese hardwood platform shelf for a tokonoma, a recessed art display area for a traditional tea ceremony room. Made with bold Keyaki (elm) hardwood with original dark lacquer finish. Original condition.

Dimensions: 54" L x 18" D x 9" H

Height: 34.5 cm (13.8 in)
Width: 19 cm (7.6 in)

Fine Chinese porcelain vase; depicts deer in a garden setting; lappet and peach borders; 19th century or earlier; minor scratches; very good condition; email for more pictures

The Ming dynasty tradition of mortise and tenon joinery can be seen and experienced in this later Ming form day bed. The Zitan bed platform rests soundly on all four inverted horse hoof legs. Mortise corners frame the woven bamboo rattan seat cover. For added flexibility, roped lacing and carved wooden support structures help reinforce the durability of its function.

The back and side rails form a lattice-like structure called “wheel of life” pattern...

Korean round lacquered container with shell inlay motifs of scrolling vines and lotus petals. The lid is topped with a pointed finial, lifting away to the red lacquered interior. The base is black lacquer with inlay sides and delicate inlay along interior rim.

19th Century

Dimensions: 3 1/4" W x 2 1/4" H

A Chinese rock crystal carving of a mythical beast called a Qilin. Resembling a fu dog, the creature is a chimera mixed with a lion, a deer, a dragon, and sometimes other animals. The Qilin is said to appear with the arrival and the passing of a sage or high ruler.

19th Century

Dimensions: 4" L x 1 3/4" W x 4 1/2" H

A pair of Quan Yi Huanghuali horseshoe back armchairs from the 18th Century. The generously proportioned curving top rail is made in five parts using half-lap pressure peg joints terminating in a curved look beyond the goose-neck side and front corner post. The back splat is carved with a Chimera medallion. The back corner posts continues through the frame of the soft mat seat to form the back legs and front legs enclosing the cusped apron carved in relief with curling tendrils...

This tall and lovely Hagi chawan rests firmly on a wari kodai or “split foot” pedestal that is unglazed—displaying the coarse rich clay. The crackled milky glaze covers the curves and contours of the bowl, contrasting dramatically between the foot and the clay body. Hagi-ware such as this is part of a tradition stretching back over 400 years and is a high-fired stoneware type of pottery...

A nice large sculptured natural root stand from the Mid Ching Dynasty. A flat surface can be placed on the top of the sculptured stand. Size: H. 70cm. W. 30cm. Condition: No repairs.

A traditional Korean gentlemen's headgear piece called a Gat, constructed of woven horsehair, bamboo, lacquer and silk. The Gat represented the social status of the wearer and protected their topknot underneath.

19th century Chosun Dynasty

Dimensions: 16 1/8" W x 7" H

Japanese hand-forged iron tsuba, used to protect a swordsman's hand from sliding up the blade during use as well as to provide balance. The front depicts two joyful festival performers, one holding a drum and the other holding a fan, the figures in relief with gilt accenting throughout. The backside of the tsuba shows a large mallet and mortar traditionally used for pounding rice into mochi.

Dimensions: 2 3/4" x 3"

Japanese hand-forged iron tsuba, used to protect a swordsman's hand from sliding up the blade during use as well as to provide balance. The openwork tsuba depicting two sages, their robes accented in gilt, one sage with a face of silver and the other with a face of copper. The front image is signed 'Soheishi Nyudo Soten' , the other side reads 'Goshu Hikone ju' (resides in Goshu-current Shiga prefecture).

Dimensions: 3 1/8" x 3 1/4"

Japanese ko tansu (personal chest) with two sliding doors opening to a compartment on top, five smaller drawers, and a sixth drawer extending along the bottom. Two side carrying handles. Pawlonia (kiri) wood with black iron hardware. Late Meiji to early Taisho Period (circa 1900 - 1920). 26 1/8" wide x 24 3/8" high x 13" deep. Very good solid overall condition. There are a few old repairs to the right sliding door, which is a bit difficult to slide open...

Japanese tsuba, a sword fitting to protect a swordsman's hand from sliding up the blade during use as well as to provide balance. The tsuba depicts a scene of hunters, one on horseback and the other on foot wielding a staff, in pursuit of a leaping rabbit, in gilt and silver. The backside of the tsuba depicts a running fox in gilt and copper.

Dimensions: 2 1/2" x 2 1/8"

A truely spectacular tomb pottery model of a rich court house or mansion, China, Ming Dynasty, 1368-1644 AD.

This building complex was Termo-Luminescence tested by Ralf Kotallas Laboratory. It consists of 6 houses, 4 walls and a screen (11 parts) comes with three full TL reports of different buildings, all dating it to the Ming Dynasty.

We've seen and sold a few Court houses before and they have all consisted of 4 houses and 4 walls...

A black glazed Jin Dynasty vase well painted in iron-brown with two graceful floral sprays.The Jin Dynasty was founded by the Wanyan clan of the Jurchen people, the ancestors of the Manchu people who established the Qing dynasty some 500 years later.. Size: H. 16.7cm. W. 20cm

A brown jade pig dragon carved into a Zuhulong or pig dragon in the Hongshan period. Size: H:6cm, W: 5cm.

Antique Japanese inro with three compartments, made of wood with gold lacquer and inlaid with gold flecks. One side is decorated with a pair of cranes and sprouting pines. The other side of the inro depicts an ancient turtle who carries, on his back, a large rock formation. Out of the rock sprouts a plum tree, a pine tree and bamboo - together called Sho chiku bai or "The Three Friends of Winter". The inside of each compartment is cover with dense nishji lacquer (fine gold flecks)...