Catalog: Antiques (488)

This ethnographic artifact is a seated ancestor female figure carved from goat's horn. It is from one of the Indonesian Islands by one of the indigenous Dayak tribes.

The horn is in good condition with no chips or losses and stands approximately 6 inches tall.

Bamboo Vests were used as undershirts under silk garments. They served the duel purpose of allowing some air circulation and protected the silk garments from body oils. These vest were fragile and they have become very rare and hard to find. They were made with small pieces of bamboo which are literally strung together to form a garment. This bamboo vest is a particularly nice one...

This is an antique Chinese set of carved bone dominoes, complete with dice and original wooden box. Carved by hand sometime in the Qing dynasty, the 32 dominos vary abit in shape, size and thickness and the bone dice are a bit off cube.

The box is just under 5 inches x 2.5 inches x 1.5 inches.

A must have for any lotus shoe collector. This iron was used for pressing lotus shoes. The thin curved end was useful for getting into the toe area. Made of iron, it is somewhat rusty-i.e. pleasantly aged. Length tip to tip is 13"

Tibetan woman wore their hair in long braids which were slipped into elaborately embroidered textile sleeves for festivals.

This lovely set of 5 antique Japanese blue and white porcelain sake cups was made for export during the McKinley Tariff Act of 1890-1914 which required that the name of the country of origin appear in writing on each piece of pottery or porcelain imported into the country. Each cup has the makers name on the bottom as well as the country of origin. they are in excellant condition.

This antique traditional tribal dagger was made and used by the Manding people who are indigenous to the Western Sudan region of Africa. The dagger is 10 inches long and has a leather covered pommel. The blade is dulled and rusted with a small bend at the tip. The original matching scabbard has traditionally woven worked leather decoration with belt loop and tassel.

During the Qing dynasty, an essential part of the Chinese woman's costume was the doodoo, which was worn covering the chest. This one is fine silk with lovely embroidery and is lined with traditional blue silk. It measures 16 inches across and 17 inches high. excellant condition

This is one of a pair of wooden (not papermache) chinoiserie footed plates made for export. The central medallion Japanese scene is classic and the rim has ornate panels of individual woman in various poises. Each side has handle shaped and painted as an ivy leaf.

On the black lacquered back is the rement of a very old label. Plate is 10.75 inches at the widest point...

This soft pale pink colored antique Chinese silk skirt is from the late 1800's. The traditional floral embroidery is mainly uses satin stitch technique with the large flower in the center of the front and rear panels use Peking knots. In over all excellent condition but the two panel have been stitched together and the waist band has been shortened to accommodate the adjustment. Also the lining has been removed.....

This Meiji period Japanese vase has ginbari panels accenting the neck and wide goldstone band with gin-bari flowers.

Vase is 8 inches tall and is in pristine condition

Made of iron, this antique Japanese mobile candle stand, known as a teshoku, dates from the Edo period. So typical of the old Japanese ethnographic objects, the design of this single candle holder is totally simple and wonderfully functional. With a lighted candle, this candlestand could be easily carried about the house by use of long very gently curved handle. When set in down, the placement of the 3 legs makes it very stable to minimize chances of it being accidentally knocked over...

Inside of ring has embedded pipe scale from the glass working process and exterior layer of glass has stress crack with small chip missing...stress crack would also be from glass making process... but ring has been stable for couple of centuries...ring was bought in South China late 90s along with several other rings (all stone and sold) but this one was so unusual that I kept it ...really is lovely

This elaborate woman's dress bodice is from Afghanistan, formerly Baluchistan. The fabric was first elaborately embroidered with an applique of thin strands of braids. Then it was heavily decorated with coins and beads.

this old wooden storage box was clearly made in a folk art tradition by or for a lower ranking individual, possibly a traveling scribe, or low ranking official. Fully opened, it has compartments for brushes, ink sticks, chops and seals, etc. The numerous splotches of old ink stains on the outside of the box indicate extensive use, under not the tidiest of circumstances. Sourced in southern China year back, it is the only box of this style that I have ever seen...

Toward the late Qing and early Republic periods, footbinding in urban centers became less common. But women were still concerned with fashionable footwear. This pair of beaded strips are actually shoes parts which would have been sewn with other matching beaded fabric parts to form a pair of beaded shoes

This matched set of Japanese lacquer consists of a 10 inch diameter shallow serving bowl and 5 plates, 5.75 inches in diameter. Each piece has a silver rim and nashiji finish with a decorative motif of bamboo leaves with abalone shell inlay flowers.

Made by a woman of somewhat limited means, this pair of lotus shoes date to the late Qing Dynasty. The vamp has a contrast of lavender and purple cotton fabric. Each toe is decorated with a delicate floral embroidery. There is a round heal attached to the sole... The shoes measure 5 inches. They show a minimal amount of wear...

This traditional small leather purse would have been used as an ornament and hung from a belt by a Tibetan woman during festival. It is heavily decorated with silver metal, turquoise and coral beads. This is an old one and is in excellent condition.

This antique Chinese glass bead was used as a toggle during the 1800's. I measures 1.25 inches in diameter.

This antique Chinese cribbage board has bone possibly ivory insets for scoring and additional small carved insets for added decoration on a wooden board richly carved with ornate fauna decoration...evidence of 4 legs (missing) on the underside of the board

This traditional tribal comb would be worn for festival by Yao ethnic minority woman of Southern China. The comb was carved from sections of bone which are held together with a twining technique. The bone sections are tatooed with traditional Yao design pattern. The comb alone is 5.5 inches long and 3 inches wide. The combined length with the pompom and tassels is almost 12 inches long.

Set of 3 Meiji Kanzashi, Japanese hair pin sticks, have deep black lacquer background with ornate swirls of red and black lacquer and inlays of abalone shells. 1 stick is 9 inches long 2 sticks are 7.75 inches long

Carved from Rosewood, on one side, this Chinese toggle has a wooded scene with a horse and pair of deer. On the reverse side is the symbol for longevity. Toggle is 1.5 inches x 1.25 inches

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.

Asian buffalo Horn with Silver over copper mounts with turquoise stones... This type of drinking horn was a common household item used throughout Mongolia...each family member had his (or her) own drinking horn and they were kept on a wooden rack which was made for that purpose... Condition 2 beads missing...silver is worn through in several area,exposing copper base...which is commensurate with normal use and aging

A properly dressed Chinese woman would wear a pair of leggings to cover her lower legs from the bottom of her skirt to the top of her lotus shoes. The leggings would be tied into place with a hand woven sash made specifically for that purpose. These lotus shoe accessories are now rare and very hard to find. See my listing TC236 and ZTC233. This pair of leggings are purple satin weave fabric with ribbon and silk embroidered trim at the cuffs. There is some ares of fade on the basic fabric.

During the Qing Dynasty, hair combs like this were commonly used. The structure is bone and the tines are of wood. A few tines have gone missing with age and use. The comb is about 5 inches x 2 inches.

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 mini snuff bottle is formed from copper and decorated with brass wire and turquoise. The writting is Mongolian (not Tibetan) and there is one stone missing on each side. The bottle is a scarce 1.25 inches high.

I call him sweet face...a bit dirty with age... Japanese hina aka girls day doll from late Edo period. lost his drum..6inches high including hat

This Buddhist sutra book was from Ceylon, now called Sri Lanka. The front and rear wooden covers painted red with random gold paint spatters. The sutra book contains 16 handwritten pages made from palm leaves, which are held between the covers with cord. Measurements 25" x 2"

This assortment of cosmetic brushes along with the small container was originally part of a large cosmetic set which would have been commissioned for the a wealthy Japanese bridal trousseaux. Many layers of the rich black roiro-nuri lacquer was applied and polished to achieve the deep lusterious tone. The brushes are accented with a 2 and 3 tone golden floral motif. None of the brushes show any signs of use...

This finely carved small 3 hole flower (plant) antique Ikebana type vase was sourced in China but design quality is very Japanese...Deeply carved dark dense,finely grained hardwood, possibly walnut, or zitan...feels wonderfully smooth...approximately 5.5 inches x 5.5 inches x 1.5 inches....

Ornately detailed Meiji period hard to find pair of imperial archers for palace display Girls Day Hina Dolls. 5.5 inches high to the top of the head...

There are a total of eight signs, each with a different "saying" having to do with well wishes. Due to the age of the calligraphy, and the vagueres of the old Chinese language, accurate translations have not been possible for each sign. Each sign is carved out of wood with raised wooden characters and inlayed with MOP flakes. Each is 21 inches tall and roughly 4.5 inches wide. I have listed them separately, to allow for pictures of each