Catalog (603)

Antique Chinese summer court hat complete with red silk tassels which extend down from the finial to cover the hat. Officials would use their "court" hat for non-formal ceremonies or daily businesses. The finial would be added to the hat during formal court ceremonies held by the Emperor. This translucent blue finial indicates that the owner was a third rank official. condition...not good...silk exterior is very dirty...the rim is worn and damaged and the interior wool faded and has a few ...

According to my Miao friends, these coin purses were often made by a girl as a gift to a prospective boyfriend...and depending on where and how he wore the purse, it would indicate his feeling for her... they can be sold separately or in multiples 1 piece  $175 plus shipping  2 pieces $325 plus shipping 3 pieces $450 plus shipping 4 pieces $525 plus shipping

Traditional Manchu style Qing Dynasty embroidered silk vest..Original drop buttons and loop closures... stunning ...fits small woman...a few hard to find light stains.

During the Qing Dynasty, Chinese court gentlemen and ladies used elaborate hair styles. To assist in these construction of the "hairdo's", they used a wire form was covered with a mesh fabric. This particular "cap" was used to cover a bun of hair on the center of the head. The silver flat "hairpin" was used to hold the cap in place by pushing it through one side hole, between the hair bun and the scalp and through the other side hole. The inside of the cape clearly shows its age and use.

During the Qing Dynasty, the feathers of the kingfisher bird were used to create ornaments for woman to attach to clothing and/or wear in their hair... Through the 1800's These ornaments were made and formed with heavy paper (light weight cardboard...) They had large areas of feathers and the edges of the paper form were bordered with gold paint...and the ornaments were often domed By the early 1900's the bird were becoming rare almost extinct ...so intricate and smaller sections of fea...

Tradition Lotus shaped Chinese silk pillow Fret pattern Embroidered background with dragons and other creatures using both satin stitch and couching with gold metallic covered thread.... Some fading and some wear around the edge... roughly 8 x 14 inches A note on displaying textiles… When framing Chinese textiles….do not allow your framer to glue the textile to any kind of backing board… Instead have the textile basted (sewn) to a piece of complimentary background fabric…and the...

This antique traditional Chinese pocket size opium scale comes in its original wooden case. Dating to the Qing Dynasty, the case contains all the original implements needed to weight gold and other precious metals and/or opium: a brass pan, a weight, and an ivory balance beam marked with 2 different weight calibration gauges. The wood case measures roughly 7 inches long and the ivory beam is 6 inches long.

This 19th Century traditional Han Chinese robe would have been used for winter wear. It uses dark black satin weave silk fabric, and has very wide cuffs with floral embroidery and the shape is trimmed out with a floral silk ribbon. The coat has its original buttons and fabric loop closures...and has original lining. Excellent condition

In China, collars where made separately from the robe or garment. As such, the so-called cloud collars were used much like a necklace, allowing a single collar to be worn over various robes. This is a traditional Han Chinese style collar dates to the Qing dynasty period. The background fabric is white silk, bordered with black rolled trim. The collar is very finely embroidered with silk thread using predominately the satin embroidery stitch. Additional gold threads are used in a couching embroid...

This tiny antique knife from the late Qing Dynasty has a wooden handle and fits into its shagreen covered scabbard...Clearly it was originally hung on a chain ...A scant 4 inches in total.

This set of old Chinese bookmarks was sent home to the US by Baptist Missionary Rebecca Cloud-Stewart... Each bookmark has original string and is made with embossed paper with silver surround on image of rural China.... set comes with Original Paper cover very good condition...never used... size 6.5 x 2 inches the ties are not included in the measurements

For centuries, before there was electricity, throughout Asia, Puppetry Arts were a popular form of traveling entertainment... A platform with a cloth screen, lit from the back by candlelight, provided the stage.... The shadow images were black against the white "background". Hence, the puppets had a minimum of color and only the necessary intricate cut outs for personality as they were sometimes presented to the audience with the "handlers" after a performance. The various body parts of th...

During the late 1800's and early 1900's eyeglasses became an important accessory for the Chinese. Upon seeing eyeglasses on visiting Western dignitaries and businessmen, the Chinese perceived and admired these "spectacles" as age enhancing. Not only did the eyeglasses improve eyesight...but they added age and dignity to the face of the wearer. Equating age with wisdom and respect, many Chinese took up the custom of wearing eyeglasses. Those Chinese with good eyesight...used clear lens with no...

This Chinese golden colored Sha-green is large by shagreen standards...it spans almost 7 inches at the longest point front to back, and stands just over 3 inches high. The top clearly has some scuffs and loss to the hide, which for me enhance the beauty of the box. The box is hinged at the back and the inside is lined with leather.

This pair of black silk lotus shoes date to the late Qing Dynasty. Back then, a woman's job was to make shoes for the members of her family. This woman was from a financially comfortable family with servants to do other household chores. Making this pair for herself, she choose a black silk satin fabric for the vamp and made an elegantly sloping sole which would accommodate separate inter changeable heels to be attached. She did very fine needlework on the floral embroidery on each side o...

This Rondel was most likely cut from a Qing dynasty antique Chinese robe, this rondel was bordered. The silk is slightly faded but in good condition. The satin stitch embroidery is clear and clean with no stains. Rondel is 16 inches diameter

Very old and very fine embroidered sleeve panels..satin and "forbidden stitch" (Peking knots) with antique trim border...some discoloration due to age... measures 11 x 22.5 inches

This lovely small woman's purse was made from silk satin fabric and embroidered with silk thread useing the satin stitch. The purse still has the original silk ribbon attached to the bottom, and belt loop attached at the top.