Catalog: Antiques: Regional Art (115)

DESCRIPTION: A fine smoked bamboo ikebana basket woven in a tall ovoid form with entwined bamboo handle. The basket is crafted with a vertical diagonal weave from both wide and narrow splints in contrasting colors. This sturdy and handsome basket has a beautiful aged patina with no losses detected; early 20th century. DIMENSIONS: 18 ½” high x 8 ¾” diameter.

DESCRIPTION: A simply carved agate rubbing stone in the form of a Chinese boy carrying a ruyi. The semi-precious stone is pure white with brown inclusions that have been incorporated into the design as the boy’s cloak, hat and ruyi, which he carries on his shoulder. A small hole has been drilled through the ruyi at the back of the head for stringing and wearing from the belt as a toggle...

DESCRIPTION: A beautifully mounted Chinese roof tile of a Ming warrior seated upon a horse. The bearded soldier, his right hand on his hip, sits erect upon his amber horse which stands on the curved tile base. This earthenware tile has been decorated in a sancai glaze of predominately green and amber colors. A beautifully carved custom rosewood base has been made for this large tile, the base itself probably being over 100 years old...

DESCRIPTION: A Jin Dynasty (1115-1234 AD) pot / container decorated with a luscious, thick black and brown glaze over a bulbous, ribbed body. Two strap handles are attached to both sides of the short neck below the flared rim. Overall very good condition with small repair to rim. DIMENSIONS: 9 ½” high (24 cm) x 8 1/2” diameter (21.5 cm).

DESCRIPTION: A large and attractive Sumida Gawa tankard with a red ribbed body, graceful handle, and high relief figures of two children. A traditional flowing flambe' glaze in dark brown and beige coats the top third of the mouth and handle. Fine attention to detail has been paid to the handmade figures of children standing on ledges against the ribbed, cold painted body...

DESCRIPTION: A Japanese Imari porcelain dish, shaped in “double fish” form and decorated in traditional Imari colors with floral designs in rust red, and fish scales and fins in royal blue. The reverse has painted florals and grasses on the four sides. Late 19th/early 20th century, and in excellent condition with no chips or restorations. DIMENSIONS: 10 ½” long (26.6 cm) x 9” wide (23 cm).

DESCRIPTION: A fine 19th C. Chinese ink stone, crisply carved in the form of a bamboo node with leaves at the top and root knobs at the bottom. A deep water well has been carved into the upper section. Natural inclusions, called "eyes," are highlighted within the duan stone's design, with one eye at the top carved to simulate the moon, and the other incorporated into the stone's grinding surface...

DESCRIPTION: A large and fabulous Sumida Gawa tankard with an unglazed body, graceful handle, and figures of a man and small boy in very high relief. A thick, flowing flambe' glaze in blues and brown coats the mouth and runs down the body and handle in thick drips. Fine attention to detail has been paid to the handmade figures of a seated man with a cane facing a young boy, both supported by craggy rockwork ledges...

DESCRIPTION: A lovely graduated set of Japanese Kutani porcelain bowls, each delicately hand painted with three overlapping rectangular cartouches which reveal landscape, garden and interior scenes, highlighted with raised gilt decoration. Each bowl is signed on the base, Kutani Sei. The mark and style of this set dates it to the end of Meiji period (1868-1912), from around 1910-20. All bowls are in excellent condition, no chips or restorations.

DIMENSIONS: All three bowls nest neatly...

DESCRIPTION: Four beautifully detailed, red and gold lacquered sheets of Burmese Buddhist manuscripts describing rules of ceremony. Kammawasa are elaborately decorated manuscripts extracted from the Pali Vinaya pitaka, the monastic code of discipline which is generally read aloud at monastic assemblies...

DESCRIPTION: Dramatic in its bold yet simple design, this Japanese lacquer box makes a striking statement. The background of this large box is lacquered in a mirror-like, black ro-iro ground, with a vivid gold lacquer design on the lid of bamboo superimposed over a ginko leaf, all within a gold circle. The box is supported on four curved feet, and the interiors are brilliantly lacquered in orange-red...

DESCRIPTION: A rare and quite old Japanese lute, or sanshin, originating from the island of Okinawa. The sanshin (literally meaning "three strings") is an Okinawan musical instrument, and the precursor of the Japanese shamisen. Often likened to a banjo, it consisted of a snakeskin-covered body, neck and three strings, and was known for its calming tune. This sanshin, dating from the late 18th C...

DESCRIPTION: A well carved cylindrical jade cricket box, the body carved and pierced from white jade in a leaf and flower pattern, with a dark cyan colored jade lid, pierced and carved in the same pattern. The box is raised on an ebony stand with three feet. Dating from the first half of the 20th C., this cricket box is in excellent condition. DIMENSIONS: 3 1/8" high (8 cm) x 2" diameter...

DESCRIPTION: A pair of rare Qing Dynasty (early 1800's) ancestor portraits of miniature size, framed in an archival, off-white silk matt. Both figures are seated on horseshoe back chairs with tiger skin drapes, the husband in a bright blue robe with black silk overcoat, his rank badge displayed on his chest; the wife in a bright orange-red coat, teal colored skirt, and elaborate headdress. Both are well painted with detailed, lifelike features...

DESCRIPTION: In Japanese lore, there are countless tales about the mischievous Tanuki, a real animal native to Japan. Masked like a raccoon but big and stocky like a badger, they are said to have supernatural powers to transform into any living or inanimate shape. Often they assume the form of a monk, as our Tanuki does here. This Tanuki okimono is hand crafted from a single piece of wood in the best of Mingei traditions. Dressed as a monk in a long robe, this charming Tanuki stands at an a...

DESCRIPTION: A classic and quite old pair of hand carved South American wood stirrups. The Guacho of Argentina, the Morochucos of Peru and the Hauso of Chile all preferred large wooden "shoes" for use as stirrups rather than the more prevalent iron stirrup. These stirrups cover the whole front of the foot, which can be an advantage when riding through tall brush. This pair has good age and obvious usage; we estimate them to date from the early 1800's. Each shoe is carved from a single piece...

DESCRIPTION: A finely painted Chinese glass snuff bottle in flattened rectangular form, each side featuring a lohan (a Buddhist disciple) in landscape settings, one with a crouching dragon and the other with a playful foo lion. Above each lohan is a poem in fine calligraphy with red seal marks. Aventurine stopper, in excellent condition, early 20th C. DIMENSIONS: 3 ¼” high (8.3 cm).

DESCRIPTION: An unusual and quite old (18th C.) copper box toggle in the form of a peach, the Chinese symbol of longevity. Probably used as both a toggle and tobacco container, the two halves have a tightly fitting overlapping seal, with two loops forming the hinge at the stem point. This large solid copper toggle has a rich, aged patina and is in fine condition with minor signs of wear, as to be expected. DIMENSIONS: Approximately 2 1/4” long, tip to tip (5.7 cm) x 1 ¾” diameter (4.5 cm). ...