Catalog (172)

This charming pair of lotus shoes are from northern China and date to the late Qing Dynasty. The delicately embroidered flower goes across the toe of each shoe and the wide ornate woven band forms a cuff around the top of each shoe.

This wonderful pair of lotus shoes are typical of boots from Shandong. They have a black cuff with hand-embroidered butterfly motif and the remanents of a thin pink woven band. The blue vamp is somewhat faded toward the front of the boot and has delicately embroidered butterfly on each side. The soles have worn leather heels. The inside silk lining is bright pink and in very good condition.

This is an old traditional style top shirt which would have been worn by a young girl of the Yi Chinese ethnic minority from Yunnan Province. the fabric is made from home grown cotton, hand spun, and hand woven. The collar surround and cuffs are trimmed with an intricate batik pattern and the tiniest embroidery stitched I have ever seen. The shirt has its original buttons. Good size for framing 14 inches across the chest.

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

This fan was made for export during the 1930's. Silk fabric with hand painted "city life" scene and support struts of black lacquer with ornate painted decoration.

Sourced from an old estate, this pair of lotus shoes came with a hand written tag/label sewn to the back of one heel and a red paper the shape of the inner sole place inside on of the shoes. The paper is at the point flaking and disintegrating and the writing is in old Chinese and no longer readable. Because of the "tag and label, I suspect that these shoes were presented as a "gift" to a Western missionary, teacher or friend. The shoes are in wonderful condition with the exception of the front...

This baby carrier is from the Miao ethnic minority of Qui Yang. Characteristic of the antique Miao baby carriers from this area, the surface decoration is composed of very tiny cross stitches which form geometric embroidery pattern which, to Western eyes, resemble snowflakes. Because of the time required to produce and the attractive appearance of this style baby carrier, they were used mostly for festivals and are now highly prized by both Westerners and Chinese.

This baby carriers is in ...

These Chinese woman's Lotus shoes are from Shanxi province and are from the mid 1800's. In Chinese culture, to have, wear or use something from an ancestor (parent, grandparent,etc) was considered as a talisman and gave an element of protection to the user. This pair of lotus shoes was passed to a younger generation whose embroidery skills were, well, not as advanced as the original maker. But clearly the child left her mark on the shoes with the added embroidery of the birds etc.

This small silk jacket was made and worn by the child of a wealthy traditional Han Chinese family. The dark blue silk fabric is embroidered on the front and back with a floral arrangement. There are additional decorative elements of tassels and border trim. The jacket spans 15 inches across the chest.

The jacket is in very good condition with only a slightly visible stain on the front embroidery, which would be expected of a childs jacket of this age.

This traditional summer weight Manchu style (side closing)vest is from late Qing Dynasty. The lush deep blue silk fabric has a jacquard weave with an all over fret design. The lining is of deep maroon silk..the vest is entirely hand sewn, and fits a small to medium size woman.