Catalog: Antiques: Regional Art (482)

Animal horns carved and shaped this way were used by herders and farmers to give a sick animal liquid medicine. This yak horn was bought in China but was probably made used the Tibetans. Judging from its size, this horn is from a mature (older) Yak...The tip is carved into a delicate animal head ...there are a few surface growth stress cracks on the under side which would be common for a large older animal. horn from tip to end is 11 inches and has good translucence

Leather products were rare and expensive during the Qing Dynasty in China. Fans were in common usage and a quality fan would have required a proper protective case. A wealthy woman could have afforded this suede fan case and would have considered it as the acceptable accessory to properly detail her finery.

The case is 9+ inches long with silk cord for drawstrings, elaborately knotted and tasseled.

This absolutely charming pair of baby booties is from the late Qing dynasty. They are made of silk satin ivory colored fabric and have a large satin stitched butterfly on each side. The front of the booties have an appliqued butterfly with tassles and pompoms. They are in pristine condition with the exception of the one missing pompom on one bootie.

Needles were a valued woman's sewing tool and were carefully secured in a special case hanging from the belt. This Chinese silver needle case has 6 sides, each with a delicate repousse floral design. The bottom is weighted with a small turquoise and larger amber bead.

This old Japanese Noh theater mask has the expressive face of an old man. The mask is carved from paulownia wood and dates to middle Edo period, around 1750. The patina is wonderful.

Mask measures approx 8 inches high and 6 inches wide

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 shell necklace is an ornament from one of the indigenous tribal groups from West Papua New Guinea. Shells were often used as both adornment and currency with these groups. The string/rope is handmade from a plant fiber. As with many items from the tribal groups of New Guinea, it is difficult to put an age on this piece. It is an interesting ethnographic artifact and can be used for display and can also be worn as a necklace. The diameter of the opening is just over 8 inches...

This old relic field marker was dug up by a friends father while doing archaeological research (i.e. digging up fields) in China years ago. For centuries, during planting,such markers were commonly buried in the fields as a talisman for a bountiful harvest. It is made of clay, high fired stoneware, and has a few chips missing...as to be expected after being buried in a field.....

Originally part of a full sized Tibetan adult costume, this piece was cut down to complete a childs festival costume. Decorated with turquoise, coins, tassels and silver ornaments, this type of textile accessory would often be attached to the elaborate headdress or hat and drape down the back to complete the wearers costume. The Tibetan people are not wastefull and items of festival garments in any condition are hard to acquire. I have had it hanging on my wall for a number of years...

This Chinese pinafore style garment would have been worn by a small girl child of the Dong ethnic minority in Shui Kou. Fabric is handwoven from cotton fiber, hand stitched with intricate decorative applique work and hand woven snowflake pattern ribbon accents the border. No rips, no tears, and no holes...but this piece is old and has been worn and is a bit "dirty".... and still has its original ties. It is 14 inches wide and 21 inches long...great ethnographic textile for framing.

This rare Edo period antique Japanese round box has 3 tiers, lid and plate. There is a column of small Gosan kiri family crests down one side and another column of small family crests on the other side. The inside is of each piece is red orange lacquer. The box fits into the rim of a plate which was use for serving. The gold lacquer paintings designs are all very fine.

The box on the plate stands approx 9.5 inches tall. and is approx 5.5 inches in diameter...

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

This antique pipe has burl wood bowl with silver filling (one ring missing) and a horn mouthpiece which has obviously been well used. There are a few short residual threads from what was probably originally a tassel. It is a wonderful ethnographic relic of folk art.

This lacquered leather pillow would have been owned by a wealthy family during the Qing dynasty. Each end has a hand painted floral design with Chinese "well wishing" saying.

This antique Chinese wooden carved pedestal stand with attached mirror dates is from the late Qing dynasty. This piece of furniture would have sat on a dresser or chest. The carving is high quality and begins at the base. The mid section carving displays a dragon and pagoda. The frame of the circular mirror has bats carved all around.

This piece has been held in storage by a Texas collector and is in excellent condition...

This old Japanese hand made sack (basket,bag) was made by a rural farmer or fisherman out of cotton cording. Handle holes were worked into the upper band which would have allowed for the changing of worn out handles. There is obvious wear and fading from use and age. The bag measures almost 11 x 15 inches It is Wonderful old ethnographic example of rural Japanese textile folk art

This 8" high wooden figure of the sitting Tenjin was carved during the Edo period, the mid 19th century (1850). Tenjin is the Japanese "god" name name given to the Japanese statesman and scholar, Sugawarea Michizane, the 9th century poet and writer of Chinese prose and verse.

Possibly carved from cryptomera wood and darkened with age, this carved figure has both a simplicity and elegance which are, for me, the major characteristics of Japanese asthetics.

This antique sutra book is from Tibet... more pages than I want to count, original paper, writings and covers... size 6 inches x 2 x 1.5

A Chinese doctor would use this stoneware clay pillow to support the wrist while taking the pulse of a patient.

The pillow was made using slab construction and all the surfaces are decorated with a star pattern and covered with a traditional glaze. There is a tiny vent hole on the bottom to facilitate firing. It measures 4.5x3 x 1.5 inches and is covered with traditional green glaze...

This Japanese tray is 12.5 inches wide and 7.25 inches tall...It is lovely ...Meiji period wireless cloisonne tray depicting birds and flowers in the central field with wide scalloped border picturing Phoenix bird at the top center, a lizard on the right and another bird on the left...really and exceptional piece...the front in in excellant condition. The underside appears to have been over-painted

This unusual Japanese lacquer clam shell is from Wakasa, a center for exceptional lacquer craftsmanship which began during the Edo period. At that time the lacquerers of the Obama clan, near Wakasa Bay, began decorating their work with designs depicting elements of the ocean floor, For techniques, the Wakasa craftsmen developed a process of repeated lacquer coatings of several colors and rubbing down the lacquer coated surface...

This small strand of Buddhist prayer beads would have been kept in a pocket or looped on a belt. Bought in China from a Tibetan, the strand of tiny dark beads is broken up with coral beads to assist in counting. The 3 fabric triangles, from departed monks robes, are amulets containing various protective prayers. When used for ritual prayers, the fabric talisman would be held in the closed fist while the fingers count the beads...

This old Chinese ethnic minority needle case is hand carved with geometric marking from end to end. Needle cases were essential tools for all indigenous cultures and frequently became important objects of decorated folk art.

These old Chinese tinted eyeglasses date from the Qing Dynasty. There is a tiny bat on the nose bridge, and ornately detailed hinged temple and ear pieces.

Obvious hand carved, this antique Sarinda is missing the tuning pegs, and the animal skin covering...wonderful patina...This is rare collectors ethnographic piece, and looks great hanging on a wall.

24 x 9 x 7 inches...hand carved from one solid piece of wood.

The "Sarinda" musical instrument was used for centuries in various countries in Central Asia, primarily in Rajasthan (Northern India), Pakistan, Nepal, Afghanistan, and Baluchistan...

This antique Japanese small drawstring fisherman's bag is woven from hand rolled cording using indigenous natural plant fibers. It would be used for carrying home the catch at the end of day. The bag shows some areas of staining and one small area near the bottom where a few fiber cords have split. these condition areas are to be expected of a folk art item of this age and use. ,,,,,

the bag is roughly 10 x 12 inches and has a generous amount of cording for adjustable straps.

These antique Razors were brought back from China by the Baptist Missionary Rebecca Cloud Stewart. The blades are rusty but they are still sharp. One has a wood handle and the other has a horn handle.

This Japanese Meiji period 6 sided porcelain chocolate pot was made for export to the Western markets. The chocolate pot has a lovely traditional Japanese scene which was hand painted, with bits of moriage detail. Excellent condition, no chips, no cracks, pot is 9.5 inches tall. There are 3 matching cups and saucers will be listed separately.

Dated by McKinley Tariff Act requiring name of country of origin to be permanently engraved (stamped) or imprinted into a piece.

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

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

These 6 antique Chinese needlework implements were brought to the US by the American Baptist missionary Rebecca Cloud-Stewart. They range in size from 3-6 inches long...

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 charming old Chinese headband was handmade for a small child sometime in the late Qing dynasty. It is one of the nicest animal headbands that I have seen, and it is in good condition. The cat's face would have been worn at the child's forehead and is 3 dimensional. Made with silk fabric, with silk thread for the elaborately embroidery, the face is complete with ears that flap, and side paws. Opened at the back seam for easy framing, it can easily be re-sewn to fit display stand.

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

Young serene standing Buddha on elaborate lotus stand. Buddha shows wear to gilding from age and handling exposing black lacquer under coat. late Meiji 1900-1920 Buddha is 9 inches and stand adds another 2.5 for total height of 11.5 inches

This is a wonderfully detailed silver needle case which was worn hanging from the belt. It has it's original long leather thong and silk tassel. Each side of the silver case has a central stone bead...one coral, one turquoise. The sides of the case (not pictured) have incised cloud/wave pattern. When opened, the case has copper with fabric arm to hold the needles. For indigenous and nomadic people, needles were an essential and valuable tool for survival of daily life. Because they were no...

According to the estate, this spoon was brought back from the Philippine Islands. It was reserved for use by a person of tribal importance, referred to as a "prestige spoon". Approx 7.75 inches tall, nice shape, feels good in the hand..bowl has crack which cannot be seen in the photo...nice ethnographic artifact

Only a wealthy Chinese woman would have been able to own this rare antique silk headband. Decorating each side of the headband are mirror images of an ornament depicting a bird and using the prized Kingfisher bird feathers. Intergrated with each kingfisher bird ornament is a finely embroidered bird on a branch.

This antique toggle was sourced from China. I suspect that was originally from Tibet. The carved circular markings on bottom of 2 of the sides of the toggle are more typical of the ethnic minorities.

Toggle is almost 2 inches long and .5 inches x .5 inches.

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. Though such sets were common among high-born Japanese women of the Edo and Meiji p...

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

This old pair of Chinese shoes were made for a small child. Appliqued onto the red cotton background fabric are bits of trim and cotton fabric which give the appearance of a cats face. Gold thread is used in a couching embroidery stitch for the design on the both sides of each shoe.

A properly dressed Chinese woman would wear a pair of leggings that would cover her foot bindings from her lower leg 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.

This pair of silk sashes were were woven with a floral pattern using 2 colors of brightly contrasting threads. The long warp end threads are braided into tassels. This pair is in excelle...

Rare Japanese antique box. Body of box has treebark finish. The top has 2 very fine lacquerware pieces depicting cranes and irises. The keyhole escheon is floral shaped and is incised. Sorry, no key, condition is very good. 10.5 x 3.5 x 2.5

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. It is...

This antique copper reposse gau houses a picture instead of a clay tsa tsa which was common for a family gau. when the family could afford to do so, the picture would be replaced by a clay tsatsa. Curiously, this gau also houses 2 amulets, which were typically provided by a monk. The paper is very old and I am told it is bad Karma to unfold the amulet.

The Tibetan Buddhists used the gau as a prayer shrine usually placed on a special shelf in the home along with any other religious relics o...

This charming Japanese netsuke has the face of Noh theatre character surrounded with intricate basket weave pattern. It is signed under the chin dimensions 2.5 x 2 x 1 inch

Ornate small pair of Japanese Girls Day display Emperor and Empress Dolls 4 inches tall... complete with hat, headress, fan etc...

Both the wooden front and back covers of this Buddhist Sutra book are hand carved with different symbols. The numerous text pages are beautifully written with rich black ink with specific words written in red ink. The book still has its original leather binding strap.

This Tibetan sutra book approximately 12 inches wide, 4 inches tall, and 2 inches thick. Though the pages are in good condition, the covers show years of wear and use and is a wonderful artifact of an old culture.

This traditional Chinese antique tea container was made from bamboo. The outside has a carved rib design and was lacquered black. This tea caddy would have been used regularly by family and friends during the Qing dynasty. The inside lid is stamped with the manufacturers information.

The tea caddy is 10 inches tall and shows patinated wear marks and chips in the lacquer surface which would be expected on a piece of this age.

This old Chinese necklace is from either the Dong or Miao minority group. The central medallion is domed on the front and flat on the back. The weight of the medallion indicates that it is hollow. It depicts a minority style dragon from minority legend. With the assortment of items dangling, the necklace is reminiscent of a chatelaine.

the central medallion diameter is just over 4 inches and from the top of the medallion to the bottom of the longest drop is approx 7 inches. It can eas...

Antique pair of Japanese samuri dolls aka musha ningyo representing the Empress Jingo and her faithful minister Takenouchi no Sukune. Unfortunately, the baby Ojin has been lost. Both dolls are beautifully detailed and in excellent condition. She is 9 inches tall and he is 6 inches tall. Shown on a home made stand

This set of 4 matching Chinese toggles were hand carved from animal bone, probably the vertebra. Each side is carved with an identical design which continues around the side. They are well aged and show both wear and usage. As artifacts from the folk art culture, they were probably carved by the person who intended to use them to secure his personal items. Each piece is approx 1 inch in diameter and .5 inches thick.

This small purse was made by Miao girl to be given to "boyfriend"...If he accepts and wears the purse on his belt...he favors her. The embroidery stitch is called Daiz but westerners know it as Peking knot aka forbidden stitch. 5.5 x 3 excellant condition

This Mongolian oil lamp was made in 3 sections, which were then "welded" together. From the 3 seam marks, it appears that the base was made from 3 parts which were joined and hammered into shape. The stem was a long square length of rod which was twisted during heating. Typically, these lamp stands would have a shallow bowl with a short dull spike for a candle, or a tripod oil bowl could also be placed on the top bowl according to the owners resources and preferences. This particular lamp s...

Carved from animal horn this eyeglass case dates to the Qing Dynasty. What appears to be the original cord allows the case to be hung on a belt...The original toggle was replaced sometime (probably in the 50's) with current blue toggle...

This antique small iron mortar fits easily into the closed hand was used for grinding medicinal herbs. The pestle is attached with a hand made chain. Sourced from Maharasha, India...great aged patina.

Cocks and dragons are the predominate design elements of this colorful antique Japanese obi... Family crest of golden thread on the end. Heavy silk brocade, in beautiful condition

This traditional antique Chinese brushpot is made from bamboo, and is deeply carved with upper and lower scenes. The brush pot measures 11 inches tall. Surface cracks do not go through to the inside of the pot.

This large Chinese scale has metal balance beams and shallow metal bowls. The scale fits into an ornately carved red and black lacquer wooden case which is slightly domed and has its original copper band closure. There is some wood chip loss around what was the hole for the string which allowed the case to be hung up for storage. Dating from the 1800's the braided cords which attach the shallow bowls to the metal balance beam appear to be replacement cords. The hand-twisted and knotted cord...