This type of fukusa is a cover placed over a gift at the time of a gift-giving ceremony such as the "Yui-noh" which is held prior to a wedding. The evergreen pine symbolizes the strength and devotion of men; the plum blossoms represent purity, subtle beauty and the inner strength of women. Bamboo is often used to describe the personality of men and women; for example, a person being as straight (honest) as bamboo could also mean flexible (bendable) to a large extent. When pine (matsu, SHO), bam...

UNITED STATES WATCH Co. Marion Watch Co. Marion New Jersey 1865 – 1877

The United States Watch Company was chartered in 1865, and the factory building was started in August 1865 and was completed in 1866. The first watch, called “The Frederic Atherton” was not put on the market until March, 1867. It was Americas first mass produced stem wind watch. The first Grade was 18s, 19 Jewels, full plate and a gilt finish movement. A distinctive feature of the company’s full plat...

Very Rare LARGE Chinese Qin Dynasty Pottery Cocoon / Listening Jar with Oxford TL Test

This oversized vessel, in the form of a "cocoon jar", was made during the Qin Dynasty (221 - 206 BC) or possibly a little earlier during the Warring States period (475 - 221 BC), but even then by the Qin state. It is made from a fairly high-fired fine-grained grey pottery. The whole of the outer surface of the body is decorated with repeated cord or woven impressions with vertical bands then being made aro...

Chinese late Qing dynasty Guangxu period rectangular form porcelain plaque painted in famille rose enamels and gilt highlights with a crane on a pine branch above thick leafy flowers. A poem at the upper left is dated in Chinese cycle years to winter of 1902 and signed Jiang Yongyuan (active circa 1899-1919) at Zhushan, a district of Jingdezhen. A raised rim frames the composition. 15 1/4" long by 9 1/4" wide by 7/8” deep. There is a fine old brown hairline crack extending down from the top....

Guangxu Period, 1875-1908

The slightly tapering form is sturdily potted and is enameled in grisaille with a bird perched on a wisteria branch amid roses toward the base. The scene, repeated on the broad sides, is reserved in a ground of yellow enamel. The narrow ends show two wisteria branches. This composition is known on other porcelains, all of which were commissioned for the Empress Dowager. The interior as well as the base are glazed white and a scrolling design in thin red enamel is ...

A rare 18th/19th Century carved agate snuff bottle with, possibly later, silver and rose quartz stopper. On the stopper is inscribed the Shanghai silversmiths "Wen Yuan" who are recorded as having traded from the Jiaqing (1796-1820) reign through until the Republic period (1912- 1949). Condition - excellent - there is a shallow chip on top, next to the mouth (please view enlargement 11) no further damages and no restoration. 5cm (2inches) high; 4.8cm (1.9 inches) wide.

A rare print by surrealist print maker Ozaku Seishi, professor emeritus from Tama Art University. He is best known for small edition etchings, usually up to 30 copies, limitless experimentation with printing techniques and surrealist, often graphic imagery resembling distorted reality ¬neither quite explicit nor quite horror, but rendering a fairly dark version of dreams. This lithograph on Arches paper is from a 1994 portfolio titled “Constitutional Fantasy”, vol. 1 (憲法幻想その壱...

A rare original printing with dust cover of the art book ANGELICA KAUFFMANN, R.A. HER LIFE AND HER WORKS by Lady Victoria Manners and Dr. G.C. Williamson, published by John Lane The Bodley Head Limited London. This 11-1/4 x 9-1/2" book has 272 pages and it was issued in 1924 in a limited edition of only 1000 copies. It has numerous print plates in colour and black and white and it retains the original Kraft style paper outer wrap/dust jacket with a printed spine. Condition: DUST JACKET - spl...

A Chelsea ecuelle and cover, fulsomely painted with fancy and aquatic birds. Applied flowers and leaves decorate the bases of the twig handles, while the uncommon (but original) knop on the lid is a beautiful flower painted in three colors. The ecuelle's interior features a large convolvulus spray.

The condition of this gem is superb, with bright colors and no missing paint. There is a very small spot of high quality and invisible restoration to the bottom of the knop's stem, where it meets t...

A finely cast bamboo shaped vase with applied bamboo leaf branch decoration. This item was made in China for the scholar's table in the 17th Century. Condition: Generally very good but the vase has been recently polished and there is an old loss - the leaves and tip of the top left branch are missing. 15cm (6inches) high; base - 3.5cm (1.4inches) diameter We have twenty additional pictures taken in different natural daylight conditions on our recently constructed shop website at 69a...

Offered is a fabulous pair of antique Apothecary Show Globes which includes one fancy Victorian style hanger. Photos provide close-up views of these intricately detailed, high-end show globes, and the 1891 photo from the WHITALL TATUM COMPANY catalog, establishes the age of these beauties.

The overall condition of the globes is very good with the imperfections and wear expected given their 130+ years of age. The decorative frames are sturdy and the globes hold water with ease. At some point ...

Remember kids of all ages, you do not need to take perpetual art workshop lessons nor waste time on a college art degree to paint and sell...but you do need a college degree and a license to be a registered nurse who saves lives and helps mankind!

Newest nocturne mid size original regional landscape marine painting by Mimi Dee in a dramatic predominantly inky blue and rose pink depiction of a full moon half hidden by clouds in an ink blue sky and primordial cape marsh nocturne.

Very camera ...

A rare model of Ghurra composed of a chain with 2 square links whose upper link carries an ancestor seated at its top who seems to be in a meditation position. The lower link shows on each of its 4 faces naive sculptures of various mythical animals, elephant, deer, cow, dog and peacock. The ancestor measures 9 cm high, his face measures 3 cm. Superb hard inlaid patina. Presented on an iron stand. Note that this ghurra has undergone several discreet local repairs. This ghurra comes from Western N...

NON-MAGNETIC WATCH Co. Geneva and America 1887-1905

The Non-Magnet Watch Co. sold and imported watches from the Swiss as well as contracted watch made in America. Geneva Non-Magnetic marked watches appear to be the oldest type of movement. This company sold a full line of watches high grade to low grade, as well as repeaters and ladies watches. An advertisement appeared in the monthly journal of “Locomotive Engineers” in 1887. The ad states that the “Pallard’s patent non...

A large and very impressive tomb pottery horseman, Chinese, 1368-1644 AD. The type has been thoroughly tested and was burnt approx 500 years ago, placing it in the mid Ming period, c. early-mid 16th. century.

The pottery horseman, a higher-ranking officer, was probably originally equipped with a standard of wood, that has now decayed. He is clad in body armor in blue and torquise and wears a cone- shaped helmet. He is riding a white horse with details in torquise.

A rare to...

Offered is a circa 1910, original piece of art entitled "Who Said Watermelons". This captivating charcoal on paper portrait of a young African American boy, very much resembles the iconic, fictional figure painted by an unknown artist in the mid 1800's, a figure who has come to be known as 'Johnny Griffin' or the 'Young Black boy with the Torn Hat'.

Measuring just 7 inches wide x 9 inches high, this unsigned piece is very skillfully executed accomplishing a three-dimensional sense of depth th...

Over the years we have taken a special interest in Raku-ware and especially in works produced by the Tamamizu kiln, such as the 300+ year old ceremonial tea bowl seen here. The first in this line of potters was Yahē (1662 - 1722), an illegitimate son of Kichizaemon Ichinyu (1615 - 1768) who studied under his father and then left to open his own kiln in the village of Tamamizu (known today as Ide-cho). Though he is the first potter of this branch, he is sometimes referred to as Tamam...

Conceived by 20th century master ceramicist Kawai Kanjiro—here an abstract depiction of flowers is used to adorn an exquisite “henko” shaped vase. The glaze used is known as “tetsu-yu” for its use of iron compounds to achieve this distinctive look. Though many pieces by Kanjiro remain today, this exact combination of style, shape, and glazing is uncommon, making this a must-have work for serious collectors. Interestingly, though it may likely not have been intentional, the abstract sym...