Catalog: Antiques: Regional Art: Asian (459)

This Korean antique is a hand carved woodblock which would have been used to print a repeating decorative design pattern onto a textile. It is very old, and well worn with great patina.

This antique document case would be used to house and transport important documents. The high quality silver decoration of vines and flowers uses both pierced and repousse techniques. The curious emblem displays a spade, heart, club and diamond. Originally owned by a wealthy family, it is from what was considered northern India, (possibly now Pakistan), during the Raj period, before partition...

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

This short sword and matching scabbard from Bhutan is elaborately decorated. The knife handle or sword hilt has a leather cover which is detail with silver reposse and a coral bead. The wooden scabbard is covered with leather and is decorated with an elaborate silver reposse dragon. The knife blade is has a series of added symbols. The belt loop is also decorated with a series of silver objects...

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 old Chinese container would have been used by a poor farmer or fisherman to carry his lunch, and tea while he was off working for the day. The main container has 2 sections and there is an additional rimmed tray which fits just inside below the tightly fitted lid. All 3 pieces are made from very tightly woven from 2 different types of plant materials...

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 antique lamp was sourced from an old Buddhist Temple in Mongolia. It would have been used as a light source, commonly using fat but also occasionally using oil for fuel. The surfaces are rusted and corroded from centuries of use and weather, which gives the piece character and shows it to be an ethnographic artifact of cultures past and passing. Approx 8 inches wide across the rim of the base and approx 12 inches high. Weight is approx 4.5 lbs

By the early 1900's, foot binding fell somewhat out of fashion with the upper social classes of Han Chinese women, especially in the north. With various degrees of success and a lot of pain, a few brave women chose to have their feet re-broken and reset into a more natural size and shape. This pair of boots belonged to one such woman...

For women of indigenous cultures, sewing needles were often hard to come by and considered valuable tools. Commonly, among such groups, cases were specifically designed to protect and safeguard the sewing. This particular antique silver needle case is from the Chinese Miao ethnic minority group and would have been worn by the women as a decorative costume ornament during festival.

This elaborate antique embroidery panel is from Gujrat India and would have been used as a dowery quilt. It is backed with soft aged (now muted) cotton fabric, leaving a 4 inch border surrounding the embroidery. The gold and silver metallic threads are also somewhat subdued and blended giving the panel a soft and somewhat muted appearance which is very pleasing...

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

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 face-sized antique mask of a shaman or Buddhist priest is from Tibet. The hand carving is both delicate and simple, with chisel marks showing on the back of the mask.

All along the four edges of this bone toggle, there is a carved circular pattern design. This pattern is very similiar to a Yao Ethnic Minority pattern and would be unusual in a Han piece.

The last picture enlargement shows how the toggle would have been used to secure the cords of a hat. The bead would be moved up the cords so that the toggle would be tight under the chin...

This deep blue Japanese cloisonne vase is decorated with 4 panels. Two of the panels have a dragon against a rust colored goldstone background. The other 2 panels have a bird against a dark green goldstone background.

Vase is in very good condition, no chips, no dents, and no losses.

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...

This Indonesian container would have been carried by a man using the handmade string as a shoulder strap. The "purse" was hand carved out of a local hardwood and both the top and bottom have decorative details.

The container sits stably on it base but can also be hung on the wall as an interesting sculpture artifact.

Approximately 9 inches high, 7.5 inches across and 4 inches deep.