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

One of 3 pendants worn by bridegroom for wedding by Afganistan / Multan /Pakistan tribal group. The pendant is slightly domed and in very good condition. It is almost 4 inches across and 5.5 inches long including drops. I have hung the pendant on black cord for easy wearing as a necklace...

This elaborate beaded breastplate would have been worn for festivals by a wealthy Tibetan woman. The main section has 3 ornate silver and turquoise ornaments surrounded by a raised beaded coil which is bordered with cowrie shells. The neckline rolled and padded.

It is 13 inches across at the widest point and can be tied around the neck using the attached fabric ties. As is obvious in the pictures, there are a couple areas of lose on the turquoise ornaments.

This pair of Japanese dolls was gifted to America official who was sent to Japan to help reestablish tea industry after the war. wonderful condition: total display is 30 inches across, 10 inches deep and 14.5 inches high. The double platform is 4.5 inches of the total height.

This traditional antique basket purse was made and used by the men of the tiny island of Balika,Indonesia. The patina shows both the age and the wear pattern. This is one of a pair of "old purses" which were brought back to the US by an Anthropology intern who spent a summer studying and documenting the lives of the islanders in 1980. The condition is very good and the piece measures 16" high by 12" wide and 4"

Japanese Lady's Dressing Box Meiji Period. The front and lid are decorated with wood marquetry inlays.The doors have inlays of MOP and assorted stones depicting birds etc. Lots of drawers, original hardware..(sorry, no key) box is 17 x 14 x 7 inches. back and sides are painted black

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 Korean brush would have been used for painting and/or large calligraphy. The handle is an old horn of rich brown tones and a soft matte patina from use. The bristles are long and soft and show some ink residue close to the ferrule. It is a wonderful brush to hold

Beautiful old wooden Japanese serving tray with irises carved into the border. Meiji Period. 12" x 22"

22 inches long and a century of hard use but the tip is clean and sharp. I suspect a skilled carpenter could still use this old Chinese drill to build a cabinet or post and beam house. Personally, I am so thankful for electrical tools.

This lacquer serving tray from Burma now called Myanmar) depicts an elaborate palace garden scene populated with nobles in court costumes. The tray is 14.5 inches across. The top surface is somewhat dulled from age end exposure. There is one small area of lost which is irregular in shape, approximately 1/4inch and is locate on toward the rim of the platter and a second area of loss approx 1/8 inch at the widest and follows the curve border rim design for about 1 inch(see pics 2 and 3.

Carved out of Bamboo this Buddha is 13.5 inches high,5 inches wide and 4 inches deep. He is a wonderfully carved example of folk art tradition with very gentle countenance.

Wonderful patina on this old tray from the Philippines. Woven from bamboo strips, this tray is approx 30 inches in diameter.

This pair of Lotus Shoes have a lotus blossom embroidered on each side of the white silk vamp. Used and showing many signs of wear, they are also a bit are dirtier than they appear in the pictures. One of the leather heels is missing. They measure just a bit over 5" heel to toe tip...

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.

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 matching Japanese 5 piece set consists of 2 deeply footed shallow serving bowls and 3 small shallow bowls. The deep rich red/orange lacquer background serves to highlight the gold, black and gray landscape scene which graces the inside of each piece. Flying high overhead a gold crane surveys the pine tree and series of sacred mountains. The largest piece is 7 inches diameter, next piece is 6 inches diameter and the 3 pieces each have a 3.5 inch diameter.

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

For Girls Day Palace display 3 male attendants each approximately 4 inches tall

Two Standing Ladies in Waiting for palace display and one lady seated for tea service. Standing ladies are 5.5 inches tall and the one seated is 3.5 tall

The 5 musicians from palace set of Girls Day Hina Dolls...the 2 musicians in the rear are are seated on stools are each 4.5 inches tall. The 3 seated on the floor are 3.5 inches tall

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

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...

This Meiji period Japanese netsuke is hand carved and represents a mask of Okame aka Ko-omote the young girl of the Noh theater. Material appears to be ivory.

beautiful old hand mirror... small amount of deteriation to mirror silver back....typical for mirror of this age.. total length 9.5 inches width 3.5 inches at widest point and .5 inches thick at the handle...

An ornate painting of gold plant and leaf decoration swirl around and across the top of this Meiji period Japanese black lacquer 3 tier box. The bottom tier has a deep foot. The container measures 9 inches in diameter and is 11 inches tall. there are several small nicks in the inside lip/rim of the top box but these do not show in the outside...

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.

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 Japanese 3 panel screen has carved wood frame and lower panels. The upper panels have decoration of carved birds, and eagle and fauna carved from either died bone or natural colored shell. The hinges are double swing so that the panels can be arranged in various positions... opened out the screen is 17 inches across and 14 inches high.

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 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.

The face of this Japanese Boy's Day Doll, musha ningyo, would certainly scare away any demons...strands of his unkept hair tends to drift across the face, and his costume is elaborately detailed. Without the stand he is 11 inches tall...the stand adds another 2 inches to the height.

Condition excellant with the exception of a couple of small surface paint chips on face reveal white undercoat (clears shown in pictures)

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

The bone of this hair pin has carved series of circles and a very delicate cross hatch pattern. The top is decorated with strands animal hair. The hair pin is 7.5 inches long. This hair ornament is Naga, which is an indigenous tribal culture in the hills of the north east region of India.

Lovely hinged old metal box with top depicting central figure of seated Quan Yin flanked with flying angels. All 4 sides of the box also have ornate filigree and stone work. Measures 7 x 3.5 x 1.25 inches. All metal work and stone work is intact but there are a few dents on the bottom of the box

Charming mythical creature from Nepal..head is separate and rotates in fitted sleeve...intricate metal work with raised enamel drops giving the appearance of stones...crature stands roughly 4 inches high...

This antique type of metal work was common in Nepal during the 1800's and into the early 1900's. The birds beak is carved from bone which is dyed to color. The "jewels" are colored glass i.e. enamel drops of orange, turquoise and dark brown. Beak to tail tip the bird measures 3.5 inches and stands 2 inches high. Very good condition with one "jewel" missing on the side.

Very rare, this oceanic artifact was brought back by from New Guinea by a pilot sometime in the 1950's. The dog teeth and boar tusks are held together by hand twisted stings woven and interlaced tightly around the widest ends.

Beautifully patterned horn chop with its horn seal box. The remenants of red ink indicate that this seal was used for official documents. The box has a slide top which closes tightly.

This antique hat from Afghanistan is heavily decorated with variety of old Middle Eastern coins.

This is a pair of old chinese handmade boots which were brought back to the US by an American missionary. In China, it was a woman's responsibility to make shoes for the entire family. This pair was made of cotton fabric, using traditional Chinese techniques. Being slightly padded, they were probably for winter use. They are in excellent condition...an authentic and interesting artifact of old China.

Nice old traditional Chinese opium scale with travel case. The measuring stick is ivory and marked to indicate weights. Approximately 13 inches long, this piece is obviously old and shows signs of use but is in good 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 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

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

Using these Chinese lotus-shaped lacquer tea saucers simplified passing and serving hot tea. Traditional Chinese symbols are delicately painted with copper color over a black lacquer background. There is a double happiness symbol at each end along with clouds, water waves and lucky bat symbol in the center. The back side is traditional Chinese red.

This well worn pair of Woman's Lotus shoes for bound feet are from the later part of the Qing Dynasty about 1870-1880. The vamp fabric is red cotton with a matching floral embroidery pattern on each side. The delicate hand stitching detail clearly shows the pride taken by the owner/maker. The soles are short of the toe vamp which was done to give the wearer a more floating and sensual appearance when walking.

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 well used pair of Chinese woman's Lotus shoes for bound feet has embroidered satin stitch floral motif on both sides of the toe. The soles have nice stitch detail

This charming pair of old Chinese lotus shoes were made from a sturdy cotton fabric and embroidered with cotton thread. The lack of silk matterials would indicate that the maker/wearer was probably from a less afluent family. The soles indicate are well worn but the vamps are in very good condition.

This antique pair of Chinese lotus shoes were worn by a woman in He Bei Province during the end of the 1800's. Small bits of Leather are nailed to the heals because the women of that time liked the sound of the heal hitting the floor as they walked. A delicate floral motif was carefully embroidered to both sides of each shoe.

there are no rips and no tears but clearly these shoes were worn numerous times.

This pair of Chinese lotus shoes were made by a woman of limited finances. She bought what materials were needed for the vamp and supplemented with the use of rough home spun fabric scraps to cover the shaped heals and soles. The limited amount of expensive gold couching threads outlining the floral embroidery pattern on each side of the shoes indicates that this pair of lotus shoes would have used only for special occasions...

This vamps of this lovely pair of Chinese Lotus shoes, aka bound feet shoes, are embroidered all around with butterflies and flowers. The soles are covered with fabric and leather...the heels are covered with leather which is nailed into place to call attention to the wearers movements when walking. Very condition ... one small rip in fabric at the back of one heel. Measures barely 4 inches.

These antique iron stirrups probably belonged to a low level horse soldier of the Chinese army during the Qing dynasty. They are well patinated.

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...

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...

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.

Manchu women never practiced foot-binding. However, during the Qing dynasty, they did wear pedestal aka platform shoes, hoping to give the appearance of smaller feet. These shoes would give the woman a more careful walk which was perceived as dainty and more sensual. In addition, the tips of the shoes would appear to peak out from under the robes, giving the foot more dainty appearance. These shoes are embroidered on both sides with a floral motif...

This pair of antique Chinese sleeve panels have wonderfully detailed hand embroidery of satin, seed, and couching embroidery techniques. The panels are bordered with plain silk of the period total length 21.5 x 9 inches wide

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...