Catalog (55)

From our Southeast Asia Collection, a very good 18th century gilded bronze Thai buddha, seated in bhumisparsa mudra, gilded lacquer over bronze with interesting glass inserts to the base, and all the indicia of legitimate age and genuineness.

Size and Condition: 13 inches tall, 8 1/2 inches wide. There is obvious age-related wear to the gilding and some lacquer has flaked off in a few random places, but in small amounts. The finial has been broken off and re-stuck, and some glass inlay ha...

From our Southeast Asia Collection, a large and well-carved image of the Burmese monk Mogallana, 19th century. The carving is rendered in gilding and black lacquer over carved hardwood, with shell inserts for the eyes, typical for the better quality Mandalay era pieces. Overall, the piece is very nicely executed with good expressiveness and presence, making it very suitable for part of a shrine ensemble, or simply for display as a centerpiece on its own.

Size and Condition: Height is ...

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

From our Southeast Asia Collection, a fine and complete Burmese Kammavaca Manuscript, late 19th - early 20th century, containing all 16 leaves and the original teak wood covers.

Kammavaca manuscripts are a quintessentially Burmese artifact that reflect the general reverence afforded to the monastic system in that country. To Western eyes, they are usually just highly decorative ethnic handicrafts from an isolated and exotic culture. But to the Burmese, they are a rather important and quit...

PLEASE NOTE: WE HAVE RECENTLY RE-ACQUIRED THIS VERY FINE KO KAW TEE FROM A CLIENT WHO IS LIQUIDATING HIS ANTIQUE HOLDINGS DUE TO HEALTH ISSUES AND MEDICAL EXPENSES: WHILE WE ARE VERY SADDENED TO LEARN OF THIS CLIENT'S CONDITION AND CURRENT CIRCUMSTANCES, WE ARE GRATIFIED AT LEAST TO BE ABLE TO ASSIST THIS WONDERFUL GENTLEMAN IN THIS MANNER, AND TO RE-OFFER THIS FINE ITEM ONCE AGAIN: From our Southeast Asia Collection, a truly exceptional lacquered and gilded woven-bamboo basket known as a Ko Ka...

From our Southeast Asia Collection, a fine gilt bronze Thai Reliquary, 19th century Rattanakosin Period (Thailand), consisting of a two-tiered bronze structure that houses a hollowed compartment for storing relics, with each tier elegantly cast with Buddha images in various poses and mudras. On the bottom tier, these include four Reclining Buddhas, four Standing Buddhas, and four Cambodian-influenced Cobra-Hooded Buddhas. On the top tier, four Sitting Buddhas are situated within open windows f...

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. This piece is very similar in overall design, palette, size, and age as item 984258 and was acquired around the same time, except that this example has since been framed under plexiglass w...

From our Southeast Asia Collection, a very large and fine Burmese Standing Buddha, late 19th century, constructed of carved and gilded hardwood depicting Buddha in a classic Mandalay School rendering which features a broad oval face, downward gazing eyes, elongated earlobes that touch the shoulders, a glass inset fillet band around the forehead, a dome-shaped ushnisha on the top of Buddha's head, and perhaps most characteristic of this particular style, is an elaborately carved robe with ornamen...

From our Southeast Asia Collection, a superb original and signed acrylic painting on canvas depicting an Indonesian Barong Dance. Though this particular piece does not share the same museum provenance as our other Barong Dance offering (see item # 938720), we think it is at least of equal merit. Some may even think it is superior. In any case, both are superb examples.

The Barong Dance is one of those wonderful and almost magical expressions of Indonesian mythology, where themes of good...

From our Southeast Asia Collection, a fine and complete Burmese Kammavaca Manuscript, late 19th - early 20th century, containing all 16 leaves and the original teak wood covers.

Kammavaca manuscripts are a quintessentially Burmese artifact that reflect the general reverence afforded to the monastic system in that country. To Western eyes, they are usually just highly decorative ethnic handicrafts from an isolated and exotic culture. But to the Burmese, they are a rather important and quit...

From our Southeast Asia Collection, a fine and large pair of ornamental bronze Burmese gongsmen, early 20th century, crisply cast depicting two gongsmen carrying a large circular gong known as a "maung" suspended beneath a pole. During Burma's Konbaung Dynasty (1752-1885), official announcements were made to the townspeople by a King's Representative accompanied by two gongsmen, who would customarily alert the town to their announcement by striking the maung. Later, in the subsequent era ...

From our Southeast Asia Collection, a fine and very large Khmer (Cambodian) handmade silk textile now framed as a wall hanging, executed in traditional Khmer palette using a combination of natural vegetal dyes and synthetic colors, depicting various animal and geometric motifs. A very striking and dramatic piece not commonly encountered.

Size and Condition: 94 1/2 inches wide, 40 1/2 inches tall. Some minor thread pulls here and there but overall excellent condition.

From our Southeast Asia Collection, a fine and large Thai Rattanakosin bronze Buddha, early-to-middle 19th century, depicting Buddha with both hands raised shoulder level with palms forward in Ham Samut mudra, also known as "Calming the Waters" or "Calming the Ocean" mudra. Buddha is wearing regal attire here with traditional tall crown and body jewelry that is elaborately inset with lacquer and glass adornments. Gilding retention is relatively high on this example. Buddha's crown is removable...

From our Southeast Asia Collection, a fine and rare Burmese dry lacquer Buddha, 19th century or earlier, exquisitely modeled with a beautifully serene meditative visage that is quintessentially Shan Burmese in form, featuring a broad sweeping forehead framed by a glass mosaic adorned fillet band, high-set eyebrows, a sharply linear nose with flared nostrils, a small mouth with thin lips gently curved upward into a half smile, three neck creases, and characteristically elongated earlobes that ext...

From our Southeast Asia Collection, a large and classic 19th century Burmese Hsun-ok from Pagan, of well- known and documented form, constructed of wood that is first lacquered in black, and then covered in successive layers of cinnabar-colored lacquer called hinthabada. Over time, through use and handling, the cinnabar lacquer wears off to reveal the black lacquer base underneath. The negoro effect here is not as pronounced on this piece as it is on our other recently posted hsun-ok (see item ...

From our Southeast Asia Collection, a large and classic 19th century Burmese Hsun-ok from Pagan, of well- known and documented form, constructed of wood that is first lacquered in black, and then covered in successive layers of cinnabar-colored lacquer called hinthabada. Over time, through use and handling, the cinnabar lacquer wears off to reveal the black lacquer base underneath as seen on this example, in an effect likened to the negoro effect seen in Japanese lacquerware.

These old,...

From our Southeast Asia Collection, a very fine and intricate Indonesian original painting by N. Mandra of Ubud (Bali), depicting an offering scene executed in subdued earth tones. The painting is acrylic on canvas and is very well done.

Size and Condition: Framed dimensions are 32 inches tall, 24 1/2 inches wide. Perfect condition, no damages.

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...