Catalog (321)

From our World Handicrafts Collection (Ex-Asia), an interesting hand-made wool prayer rug, probably Persian but it could possibly come from the Caucasus region as well. The rug features a main central medallion in rust colored ground, two minaret motifs towards the top, and geometrical motifs on the borders. The workmanship seems to be a combination of natural mineral pigments and synthetic dyes.

Size and Condition: 60 inches long, 39 inches wide. This rug has seen a fair amount of we...

From our World Handicrafts Collection (Ex-Asia), a very interesting Afghani hand-made tribal rug decorated with American military helicopter and B-52 bomber motifs. This piece was acquired about 16 months after the American military campaign in Afghanistan was launched in response to the 911 attacks, and in a fascinating example of art imitating life, the villager who crafted this rug chose to fashion it in this manner, reflecting the military aircraft he/she no doubt saw in the sky day after d...

From our World Handicrafts Collection (Ex-Asia), a charming hand-carved mirror frame from Cuzco Peru, sister city of the famed Macchu Piccu ruins. The wood used here is an indigenous Andean softwood that has been very skillfully carved in Spanish Baroque style, not uncommon since Peru was colonized by the Spanish in the 1500's and Spanish architectural influence still pervades their culture and crafts. The mirrored glass was installed later in the States. A lovely and unique gift item.

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An excellent pictorial reference book specializing in Song Dynasty ceramics with very good informative text by Rose Kerr. This is an especially well-photographed book with about 120 color photos covering all areas of Song Dynasty ceramics including Ru and Jun wares, Xing and Ding wares, Yaozhou wares, Cizhou wares, Celadon wares, Qingbai wares, and Jizhou and Jian wares. In our candid opinion, it's not enough of a reason to purchase an antique merely for the sake of a free book, but any client...

A very interesting reference book that is more a specialist's reference on a compilation of certain individual topics than a general survey book on Burmese wares in general. There are 15 different essays here dealing with a broad range of topics such as Burmese Buddhist Sculpture in the British Museum; Court Dress of the Shan States; Burmese Votive Tablets; Problems and Issues Concerning the Preservation of Wooden Monasteries in Burma; Burmese Arts and Crafts in the Scherman Collection (German...

An excellent pictorial reference specializing in blanc de chine (dehua) and a must-have book for anybody collecting within this field. The text by Robert Blumenthal is very good as well. We personally find that blanc de chine is probably the biggest area of fraud, abuse, and mistake by unscrupulous and /or unknowledgeable dealers, and as such it is probably the main area where novice collectors get burnt the most. From what we see, we estimate that a staggering 75% of so-called blanc de chine s...

An excellent pictorial reference book specializing in Chinese tomb sculptures. There are about 70 high quality, full color photos with text both in Chinese and English. The pieces represented cover mostly the same periods as the Bower book on the Solomon Collection, namely the Han, Northern Wei, Northern Qi, and Tang Dynasties, but this book also goes a little further to cover the Song, Yuan, and Ming Dynasties as well. In our candid opinion, it's not enough of a reason to purchase an antique ...

An excellent pictorial reference book documenting the famed Anthony M. Solomon Collection of Chinese Tomb Sculptures. There are about 60 high quality, full color photos plus some very informative text by Virginia Bower. The pieces represented mostly cover the Han, Northern Wei, Northern Qi, and Tang Dynasties This is a very good book for anybody interested in tomb sculptures. In our candid opinion, it's not enough of a reason to purchase an antique merely for the sake of a free book, but any...

An excellent and absolutely essential pictorial reference book for anybody interested in Burmese wares. From lacquerware to carved statuary to offering vessels of all kinds, this book has over 180 excellent full color photos of all things Burmese. In our candid opinion, it's not enough of a reason to purchase an antique merely for the sake of a free book, but any client already seriously contemplating a purchase can enjoy this as a free extra.

Many collectors, especially beginners, do n...

An excellent pictorial reference book specializing entirely in Japanese Imari wares. The pieces span the gamut from the earliest Imari wares of the late 17th century, all the way through the Meiji Period Imari wares of the late 19th century. There are over 100 high quality color photos. In our candid opinion, it's not enough of a reason to purchase an antique merely for the sake of a free book, but any client already seriously contemplating a purchase can enjoy this as a free extra.

Man...

A very good reference book that covers various Chinese export wares, but which is especially useful for Chinese Rose Medallion collectors. While the book is somewhat lacking in that most of the photos are black and white and not in color, the book is still very important as an encyclopedic guide to all the myriad of shapes and forms within the Rose Medallion genre. From standard vases and bowls to the more obscure shapes like marmites, sponge dishes, and bulb trays, this book has virtually ever...

An excellent pictorial reference book with an interesting specialty focusing exclusively on figures: The book covers figures from virtually all the Japanese ceramic disciplines including Imari, Kutani, Sastuma, Hirado, Banko, and Sumida, with a very nice and useful final section on Japanese marks. There are over 200 color photos all of which are quite excellent. In our candid opinion, it's not enough of a reason to purchase an antique merely for the sake of a free book, but any client already s...

A very good pictorial reference book focusing specifically on Imari and Kakiemon wares featuring about 95 color photos and some good overview text. In our candid opinion, it's not enough of a reason to purchase an antique merely for the sake of a free book, but any client already seriously contemplating a purchase can enjoy this as a free extra.

Many collectors, especially beginners, do not make enough effort to acquire good reference books, and are tempted to spend on pieces before the...

An excellent pictorial reference book focusing on tomb items from China's Golden Age with heavy concentration on Tang and Han Dynasty items, but Eastern Zhou, Warring States, Spring and Autumn, and Qin Dynasty Periods are covered as well. There are over 120 color photos, most pieces are bronzes and/or gilded bronzes, but there are also some jade and early pottery pieces represented as well. The text is also very informative. In our candid opinion, it's not enough of a reason to purchase an anti...

An excellent pictorial reference book specializing in Neolithic Period / Early Chinese wares with good informative text by Regina Krahl and other contributors. Truly a must-have reference book for anybody interested in Neolithic / Early Chinese pieces. There are about 65 color photos all of which are really quite excellent. In our candid opinion, it's not enough of a reason to purchase an antique merely for the sake of a free book, but any client already seriously contemplating a purchase can ...

An excellent pictorial reference book covering the Koger Collection which features Chinese wares spanning the Neolithic Period through the Qing Dynasty. There are about 155 color photos with editorial by John Ayers. The photos here are really quite excellent. In our candid opinion, it's not enough of a reason to purchase an antique merely for the sake of a free book, but any client already seriously contemplating a purchase can enjoy this as a free extra.

Many collectors, especially b...

From our Fine Arts and Americana Collection, a lovely hand-embellished serigraph by Janet Treby. Hand-embellished serigraphs are different from standard serigraphs in that hand-embellished serigraphs have actually been over-painted by the artist, and so they have the texture of an original. The artist accentuates details here and there, adds coloration, adds minute touches etc, so that in a sense, each hand-embellished piece becomes a "quasi-original," as the nature of the embellishment on suc...

From our Fine Arts and Americana Collection, "Earth and Sky," by Misha Frid, AP #9 (Artist's Proof) of 25. Signature and foundry mark on base.

Born in 1938 in Moscow, at the age of six, Misha began his artistic studies at a prestigious art school for gifted young artists. He graduated with honors from Moscow State Art College and The University of Fine Arts. The works he created in the Soviet Union were ultimately declared a National Treasure, and as such, by law these pieces could not be...

From our Fine Arts and Americana Collection, "The Harp Player," from Misha Frid's "Music Series." # 126 of 195. Signature and foundry mark on base.

Born in 1938 in Moscow, at the age of six, Misha began his artistic studies at a prestigious art school for gifted young artists. He graduated with honors from Moscow State Art College and The University of Fine Arts. The works he created in the Soviet Union were ultimately declared a National Treasure, and as such, by law these pieces could ...

From our Fine Arts and Americana Collection, "The Cello Player," from Misha Frid's "Music Series." # 4 of 195. Signature and foundry mark on base.

Born in 1938 in Moscow, at the age of six, Misha began his artistic studies at a prestigious art school for gifted young artists. He graduated with honors from Moscow State Art College and The University of Fine Arts. The works he created in the Soviet Union were ultimately declared a National Treasure, and as such, by law these pieces could n...

From our Indian Subcontinent Collection, a superb contemporary Indian miniature painting, executed in a very rich and intricately colored palette of burgundy, pink, dark green, mint green, blue green, mustard, peach, light blue, red, brown, black, white, blue-grey, and gilt. Ordinarily we prefer only the antique miniatures, but we thought this one was so well-done that we made an exception. In fact, in terms of proficiency of the painting here, we would stack this particular one up against t...

From our Indian Subcontinent Collection, a fine and large tempura on silk original painting depicting figures in what seems like a celestial dance, almost a magical procession. Back in the day we used to call these compositions "Peshawars," referencing their point of origin as Peshawar Pakistan, but it is possible that similar pieces are being produced in the border regions of Northern India these days as travel through Pakistan has become much more hazardous.

Size and Condition: Framed ...

From our Southeast Asia Collection, a very large and finely detailed Indonesian acrylic on canvas original by artist I Made Rajia of Penestanan Village, Ubud Bali, painted in 1999. This magnificent piece is composed in what is known as their "Traditional Style" genre, depicting a snapshot of typical village life. The artist here has used a somewhat unusual but very effective palette of earth tones combined with heavy emphasis of yellow and orange coloration to achieve a sophisticated but still...

From our Southeast Asia Collection, a superb Indonesian ebony wood carving of a Legong dancer, expertly rendered capturing the marvelous grace and elegance of this traditional Balinese dance.

As Wikipedia describes it, "Legong is a form of Balinese dance. It is a refined dance form characterized by intricate finger movements, complicated footwork, and expressive gestures and facial expressions. Legong probably originated in the 19th century as royal entertainment. Legend has it that a pri...

From our Southeast Asia Collection, a superb Indonesian ebony wood carving of Ruana, expertly rendered with such animation and ferocity that the character looks almost demon-like, so much so that we actually find this particular piece a bit creepy.....But that is ultimately testimony to the tremendous skill of the carver.

For those unfamiliar with the differences between ebony wood and the other woods in the hardwood / rosewood family, ebony wood is especially dense and heavy and very d...

From our European Collection, a good late 19th / early 20th century cast iron mirror, probably English. A charming but unpretentious piece that can complement many different styles of decor.

Size and Condition: 28 1/4 inches tall, 16 inches wide. Excellent condition, no repairs or restoration and the glass appears to be original: Some general wear to the ironwork commensurate with age as seen in the second close-up, but this only adds to the charm.

From our European Collection, a very elegant late 19th / early 20th century bronze lamp, probably French or English, featuring a well-cast swan atop a lumbering turtle. This is the second of two fine lamps we recently acquired from the estate of a former New York based antique dealer. Please note the close-ups of the swan and the turtle: these are both quite finely executed.

Size and Condition: 24 inches tall, 14 inches wide. Superlative condition: there are really no condition issue...

From our European Collection, a very elegant late 19th / early 20th century bronze lamp, probably French or English, featuring trumpeting cherubs and well-cast floral motifs on a tapering base. A very well-balanced and dignified piece with a good patina.

Size and Condition: 28 inches tall, 16 inches wide across lamp shade. There is some general but minor wear to the bronze commensurate with age and handling, one cherub is missing its trumpet, and some tears on the interior of the lamp...

From our European Collection, a fine and very ornate cast iron plant stand, late 19th century, most likely French though possibly Spanish, featuring highly detailed and animated figures gracing the corners, along with some very intricate openwork on the legs and stand surfaces.

Size and Condition: 30 inches tall, 15 inches wide, 15 inches deep. Some minor and general wear commensurate with age but really no notable flaws. This item was apparently very well-kept, and comes from the estat...

From our European Collection, a fine and very ornate cast iron letter holder, late 19th century, most likely French though possibly Italian or even Spanish, crisply cast with cherubs and other figures and very intricate openwork.

Size and Condition: 14 3/4 inches wide, 14 1/2 inches tall, 4 3/4 inches deep when opened. Excellent condition. Some minor rubbing on the periphery, and also on the facial extremities of some of the figures as shown in the photographs, but overall the wear is q...

From our European Collection, a good late 19th century bronze figural inkwell, probably French.

Size and Condition: 9 inches wide, 5 1/4 inches tall, 6 1/4 inches deep. Some verdigris to the patina, the interior glass ink container liner has a small crack, and the inkwell lid does not fully close, though this can easily remedied with a competent repair. Still fine overall condition.

From our European Collection, a fine and elegant 19th century bronze tazza, probably French, featuring well-cast leonine head motifs with twisted serpentine handles, supported upon a tapering circular pedestal base with some very attractive and realistically cast floral motifs. This piece has acquired a nice chocolate-brown patina across most of the surfaces.

Size and Condition: 13 1/4 inches across handles, 7 inches tall. Some minor scratches to the serving surface of the tazza tray, a...

From our Southeast Asia Collection, a small but fine Burmese ink on palm leaf sutra with thayo embossed wood covers, depicting Buddha under the Bodhi Tree of Enlightenment flanked by two adorants in the center medallion, then encircled by disciples and zoomorphic entities in the surrounding images. The reverse side contains sutra writings in Burmese script, not yet translated. Overall workmanship is quite fine with great attention to detail, reflecting the devotion, reverence, and skill of the c...

From our Southeast Asia Collection, an inscribed lacquerware covered vessel from the famed U Aung Myint workshop in Myinkaba Village, Pagan Burma (Myanmar), from which the British Museum has commissioned pieces for display in London. See Isaacs and Burton, Visions from the Golden Land, Burma and the Art of Lacquer page 222-223. We had the honor, privilege, and education of watching artisans in this famous lacquer workshop creating modern masterpieces in the yun style, an extremely labor intensiv...

From our Indian Subcontinent Collection, a large and fine vintage thangka, either Tibetan or Nepalese, executed in a subdued yet very elegant palette emphasizing substantial gold use, along with blue, coral, gray, brown, taupe, white, and light green, all painted in an unusually meticulous and finely detailed fashion that is almost more like satsuma workmanship than typical thangka painting. For those who enjoy the look and spirituality conveyed in thangka paintings but do not care for the gaudy...

From our Southeast Asia Collection, a lacquerware masterpiece from the famed U Aung Myint workshop in Myinkaba Village, Pagan Burma (Myanmar), from which the British Museum has commissioned pieces for display in London. See Isaacs and Burton, Visions from the Golden Land, Burma and the Art of Lacquer page 222-223. We had the honor, privilege, and education of watching artisans in this famous lacquer workshop creating modern masterpieces in the yun style, an extremely labor intensive craft where ...

From our Southeast Asia Collection, a fine original Burmese watercolor of a solitary young monk at prayer. From memory we think the scene depicts one of the many alcoves at the massive Ananda Temple complex in Pagan, though in all candor we cannot be entirely certain. In any event, it is a stirring and highly evocative portrayal which in its simplicity, captures a deep and genuine sense of reverence and serenity. Much of this comes from something as subtle yet masterful as the artist's depictio...

From our Japanese Collection, a fine and large eight-sided imari charger, Meiji Period 1868-1912, depicting a flower basket beautifully executed in traditional palette of iron red, orange, blue, and gilt on a white porcelain body, and as a lovely extra on this particular piece, the addition of Kakiemon-style greenish turquoise enamel highlights in the corners and tastefully interspersed throughout the design. Floral and cloud motifs appear on the reverse, along with 6 spur marks from the kiln s...

From our Early Chinese Collection, a fine and large Ming Dynasty lead-glazed pottery ridge (roof) tile, 15th-16th century, Hongzhi through Jiajing Period (1488-1566), depicting a guardian-demon ferociously modeled with bulging eyes, protruding fangs, pointed horns, thick musculature, and standing in defensive posture astride a cloud-swirl with fists clenched around what would have been a weapon made of wood or iron, now since rotted away and lost to time. This cloud-swirl between the demon and t...

From our Early Chinese Collection, a very fine Ming bronze of Guanyin, 16th-17th century, crisply cast with a wonderfully serene countenance, a tiered and pierced diadem (crown), urna on the forehead signifying divine sight, body jewelry, and seated with right hand in verada mudra upon a double lotus base. This piece has developed a nice deep brown / dark gray patina with several areas of greenish verdigris suggesting high copper content to the bronze. We think this piece compares well with tw...

From our Chinese Blue and White Collection, an absolutely superb Kangxi Mark and Period Charger, 1662-1722, depicting an elegant lady in a garden pavilion tending to a lit censer while her servant stands adjacent with a ruyi-shaped fan. An egret flies overhead and two rabbits sit in the foreground beneath a banana leaf plant. On the outer rim, there are four cartouches of other elegant ladies interspersed with four cartouches of flowering plants, all separated by key fret reserves. The reverse d...

From our Shipwreck Ceramics Collection, a charming blanc de chine Guanyin from the Vung Tau Shipwreck circa 1690-1700 (Kangxi Period), one of only 30 ever recovered from this wreck and in this sense quite rare. The Vung Tau Shipwreck refers to a cargo ship of Chinese ceramics that sank in the waters of the Can Doa Islands, nearby to Vung Tao Vietnam between 1690 and 1700, where it had briefly stopped to re-supply on its way to Batavia (Jakarta Indonesia). The wreck, which consisted mostly of ...

From our Southeast Asia Collection, a good and large vintage Indonesian batik executed in three different shades of blue, along with rust, peach, olive, black, brown, white, and signed by the artist.

Batik is one of many methodologies of fabric decoration employed in Indonesia's long and rich textile tradition. Those unfamiliar with the process will not immediately recognize how the designs are rendered, but it is essentially a wax-resist type of dyeing operation where certain sections o...

From our European Collection, a good and substantial pair of Continental hand-carved black walnut chairs, 19th century, featuring claw feet and floral motifs carved in deep relief. The seat cushions are a mustard / gold colored silk and are either original, or later 19th / early 20th century replacements.

Size and Condition: 36 inches tall, 19 inches wide.

From our European Collection, a very fine Federal Giltwood Pier Mirror, early 19th century circa 1800-1820, featuring a looking glass surmounted by a good maritime scene, bordered on top by a pair of angels exquisitely rendered in gilded gesso suspended beneath an overhanging cornice, and flanked by gilded ribboned columns on the sides.

This particular mirror is an excellent example of its kind, and is especially well-preserved. The gilding is all original yet still very rich and lively,...

From our European Collection, a fine 19th century Victorian wheel barometer, featuring a black lacquered wood casing inlaid with mother of pearl, swan neck pediment, silvered barometer dial, bow-front thermometer, hygrometer, spirit level, and with an ivory setting knob. Maker unknown. A very elegant and refined example.

Size and Condition: 38 inches tall, 9 3/8 inches wide, 3 inches deep. As the photos indicate, there is crazing of the black lacquer in various spots on the casing, as...

From our Southeast Asia Collection, a massive Indonesian teak wood carved panel executed in high-relief, depicting a scene from the Ramayana.

Indonesia, like Burma, has a long standing and very accomplished woodcarving tradition where generations of craftsmen have been producing great woodwork for decades. This particular piece is especially large and animated with great depth to the carving, and makes for a very dramatic statement in any room where it is displayed.

Size and Con...

From our Southeast Asia Collection, this is the fourth and last offering from our four-part series of Burmese Hyper-Realism Masterpieces executed in charcoal. From a technical perspective, these are some of the most extraordinarily realistic renditions in charcoal that we have ever seen, from any culture and from any time period. The artistic talent reflected in the creation of these works is really nothing short of amazing, especially when considering the inherent limitations of working in char...

From our Southeast Asia Collection, this is the third offering from our four-part series of Burmese Hyper-Realism Masterpieces executed in charcoal. From a technical perspective, these are some of the most extraordinarily realistic renditions in charcoal that we have ever seen, from any culture and from any time period. The artistic talent reflected in the creation of these works is really nothing short of amazing, especially when considering the inherent limitations of working in charcoal compa...

From our Southeast Asia Collection, this is the second offering from our four-part series of Burmese Hyper-Realism Masterpieces executed in charcoal. From a technical perspective, these are some of the most extraordinarily realistic renditions in charcoal that we have ever seen, from any culture and from any time period. The artistic talent reflected in the creation of these works is really nothing short of amazing, especially when considering the inherent limitations of working in charcoal comp...

From our Southeast Asia Collection, this is the first offering from our four-part series of Burmese Hyper-Realism Masterpieces executed in charcoal. From a technical perspective, these are some of the most extraordinarily realistic renditions in charcoal that we have ever seen, from any culture and from any time period. The artistic talent reflected in the creation of these works is really nothing short of amazing, especially when considering the inherent limitations of working in charcoal com...

From our Indian Subcontinent Collection, a fine vintage wool and silk Pakistani Bokhara rug in classic Tekke Gul design, handwoven on a vertical loom with cotton base, using a combination of natural mineral pigments and synthetic dyes. The Tekke Gul motifs as well as various tiers of the border elements, are all outlined in off-white / cream colored silk, a rather elaborate and more complicated execution seen on the higher quality examples.

Cheap machine made copies of Bokhara rugs (oft...

From our Chinese Polychrome Collection, a stunning and large Chinese lacquered jumu cabinet, mid to late 19th century, featuring exquisitely painted birds and floral motifs on a rockwork base, executed in gilt and subtle polychromes that are contrasted against a rich red lacquer ground. The outer frame features medallions of split tail sea dragons, auspicious symbols, and textile motifs, while the sides feature depictions of stylized floral motifs. The interior has 2 levels along with a hidden...

See description for item # 990732: a Large, Published, Inscribed, Dated, Burmese Buddha

From our Southeast Asia Collection, an important and magnificently large, published, inscribed and dated Burmese temple Buddha, Mandalay School, constructed of fabulously carved hardwood coated in reddish-brown lacquer and gilt, depicting Buddha seated in padmasana position with his right hand in bhumisparsa mudra, elevated upon a single tier base with iron temple security rings, and bearing a raised-lacquer dedication inscription that essentially translates as follows: "Wish-fulfilling Kabalon ...

From our Japanese Collection, a very fine satsuma vase, Meiji Period (1868-1912), most likely circa 1900 -1910, marvelously potted in an unusual but very elegant flared trumpet shape exhibiting definite Art Nouveau Period influences, and yet decorated in what would be considered restrained Japanese taste with simple and classic floral motifs. Signed Kizan with a Satsuma Kiln mark.

For collectors with a genuine appreciation for art history, this piece is a wonderful example of the blend of...

From our Southeast Asia Collection, a fine and massive vintage Burmese Kalaga, intricately and painstakingly constructed of literally thousands of small metallic disks, colored threads, beads, and fabric swatches, all woven and assembled into a massive tapestry illustrating scenes from the life of the Buddha.

Burmese kalagas are often misidentified as being Thai in origin since they are routinely acquired across the border in Thailand where tourist travel is far more common than in Burma i...

From our Fine Arts and Americana Collection, an early Tomasz Rut original oil on canvas masterpiece titled "Celesta," widely regarded as one of his top paintings of all time.

We were fortunate to meet Tomasz in the early 1990's when he was nary as famous as he is now, and were doubly fortunate to subsequently acquire two of his early original works, both of which are now considered to be two of the best he has ever created. Literally taken off Tomasz's studio wall shortly after he fini...

From our Fine Arts and Americana Collection, an early Tomasz Rut original oil on canvas masterpiece titled "Musica Stellarum," widely regarded as one of his top paintings of all time.

We were fortunate to meet Tomasz in the early 1990's when he was nary as famous as he is now, and were doubly fortunate to subsequently acquire two of his early original works, both of which are now considered to be two of the best he has ever created. Off the art market and sequestered away from public ...

From our Southeast Asia Collection, a fine and large late 19th / early 20th century gold thread ceremonial shoulder cloth, or kain selendag songket, from the Minangkabau people of Sumatra, Indonesia, circa 1890-1920, executed using heavy gauge gold thread intricately woven into floral and geometric motifs on a red silk backing. The processes for creating and spinning the gold thread and weaving the design motifs are excruciatingly time consuming, thus this technique is generally reserved for pi...