Catalog (344)

Personal care items with long handles to reach the back...the brush is carved from wood and the back scratcher is carved from bamboo...roughly 22 23 inches long...

This Qing Dynasty scroll is a kossu woven silk tapestry (kesi is the Japanese term) meticuliously depicts the famous Chinese painting scroll by Ding Yunpeng called The White Horse Carrying Sutras. The original painting was done in 1625 and illustrates the story of the 2 monks who traveled through Western China with a white horse carrying the Buddhas Scriptures. The original hangs in the National Palace Museum (Forbiddon City in TaiPei).

The kossu textile is in excellant condition. It is sur...

This is a charming old cloisonne teapot from the later part of the Qing Dynasty in China. During this time period the traditions and culture of tea making and drinking had evolved to include the appreciation of tea articles as art objects in addition to their utilitarian purposes. This well crafted miniture teapot would have been sought after for its sculptural form.

Each side of the body of the teapot has a different floral motif with a background pattern of clouds traditional Ruyi. The h...

This antique Chinese small wooden tobacco container would have been looped on a belt. It is probably ethnic minority, and hand carved by its intended user. Such folk art artifacts are now rare and hard to find on the market.

Measures 3 inches tall, and comes with original hand twisted cord, and is in very good condition

Though sourced from northern China, this antique powder flask is most likely Chinese ethnic minority from the southern regions. There are 3 flasks for carrying gun powder. Used rifle cartridges are used both as stoppers and bullets are held in the shaped spacers between the powder flasks. It was made by shaping and then sewing 2 pieces of heavy leather (probably elephant hide)together.

This is a traditional old style Chinese doodoo which is worn buttoned to the front of a womans shirt. It is made of black cotton fabric and embroidered with silk thread using a satin stitch. The motif is typical Miao...birds and flowers. It is in good condition appears slightly faded. This piece measures approx 11" X 11" and would look very nice framed. Age approx 65 yrs old

This old Chinese Ethnic Minority inro is carved from animal horn and has 2 compartments. Each side is carved with a floral motif that is bordered with a key design. These symbols are especially meaningful to the Miao ethnic culture. The inro was worn suspended from the belt by a braided cord. It is a attractive ethnographic relic for the tribal arts collector. Condition is very good and the piece measures approximately 3.5" X 2

This tall bamboo incense holder is elaborately carved with a bird attacking a snake. The birds wings are out-stretched and spread around the container and the bird is being cheered on by a much smaller rooster. The carving is deep and detailed.

The holder is 12 inches tall and 4 inches in diameter and has a deep mahogany brown patina.

This set of Chinese dolls were made with wire bodies covered with fabric padding and then silk clothing. Their heads, lower arms and feet are made from some kind of composition material and then painted. Because of their wire construction, their arms, legs, and bodies etc can be carefully repositioned. The feet are wired together to provide a more stable base...it is a theory which frankly does not always work well.

The mother and father are each approx 7 inches tall in standing pos...

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 ...

Carved from a single block of hardwood, this Chinese drum has great patina aged surfaces. An old folk art instrument, it shows the wear of use during many musical performances at chinese operas and street festivals. When "beaten" with its accompanying drum stick, it has a deep attractive sound.

These early Qing dynasty cups were carved from coconut shell, and lined with metal which was originally coated with silver. The Chinese believed that silver would tarnish when in contact with poison. Many wealthy Chinese liked to use silver lined cups and chopsticks tipped with silver fittings was an assurance against poisoning. There are 6 cups in all but each has a slightly different carving and they being sold separately with each to be pictured under this one listing.

They are all in...

This antique molded gourd cricket case has a tight fitting rosewood lid. In China, during the Qing dynasty, crickets were considered household pets, and they were also used for fighting contests and, betting was a regular part of the fight scene.

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.

Each band of this pair of very fine silk embroideries have 2 sets mirror images: one set of floral motif and the other set of a couple celebrating. Both sets use satin stitch, french knot (aka forbidden stitch) and couching embroidery techniques. The embroideries are on a background fabric of fine patterned silk which measures 6" by 15". The floral embroidery is 1.5 x 2" and the couple embroidery is 1.5 x 5". Because of the sizes of the fabric and the sizes and arrangement of the embroiderie...

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

These 3 small oil lamps were brought back to the US by a Baptist missionary who lived and traveled extensively throughout China. Oil lamps like these were used for light source extensively throughout rural China by poor peasants. Simply made, presumed cut from scraps of tin and soldered into shape.. the lids come off for filling with oil and some original home made wicks remain in place. The tallest is 5 inches high...

This antique chinese hat would have been worn for festival by a Yi ethnic minority girl (woman) from the Honghe area. Worn for festival, the "cockssome cap" is elaborately decorated with faceted silver beads. Enlargement 5 shows cock hat as it would be worn. Hat comes with its own custom made stand.