Catalog (603)

This lovely old vest of damask silk is lightly padded for winter wearing. There is some sun fading on both front and back silk but overall condition is very good...original frog closures..hand stitched...cotton lining...

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 a page from the rare Burmese Buddhist Sutra manuscript called the the KAMMAVACA. The pages of these religious sutras were made from a thin strip of bamboo covered with cloth (frequently monks robes) which was thickly coated with red lacquer and gold leaf decoration. Lacquer from tamarind seed was used for the square black lettered text which is in the now extinct Burmese religious script of Pali. The small hole on the page allows a string to bind the various pages of the sutra toget...

By the latter part of the 19th century the ruling Qings were obsessed with every last detail of dress. This antique top grain leather fan case could only have been owned by very wealthy Chinese woman.

This antique Chinese circular lidded container was made from a single valuable horn. It is a tribute to both the horn and the skill of the craftsman. Horn can be cut, and carved, but it is not a flexible material. According to my Chinese friends, the thinner and more translucent the horn, the more it is valued. The cross-section of an ox (buffalo)horn is oval, but a Yak horn is circular. This is a prized horn. Approx 4" high and 2.5" diameter.

This unusual hat stand is made of 2 very thin interlocking pieces which were black lacquered and painted with a floral and peach motif.

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.

This Chinese Double handled Cloisonné cup has its original blown cobalt blue glass insert... Old red wax seal on bottom from the 70's by Chinese gov official as being between 100 and 200 years old and therefore allowed to be taken out of China... see pic at bottom pic...1.75 inches x high 3 inches diameter of cup and 5 inches across includes both handles

This unusual small triangular shaped snuff bottle 2 of the 3 sides of the piece have carefully repouse Tibetan symbols..no makers marks...a few tiny dents ...no loss. It was brought back from Tibet by a man who went on a long walkabout from Istanbul to Tibet back in the late 60's...China was not open at the time...and Tibet ..he traveled with a backpack,limited space,few small momentoes and he was picky...old pieces only... bottle is approx 1.75 inches high

Such figures (twins beaded) were reserved for high status "royal" tribal leaders for protection. Heavily decorated with beads, bone and cowrie shells, this pair is 80 years old and have some kind of marking on the bottom. sourced out of Fumbane (foumban), approximately 12 inches high

This relic of a horse saddle was dug up in the southwester dessert area of southern California roughly 50+ years ago. Because of the style of the pummel it looks more Mexican than Western. How long it was buried is an open question. Because of the crudeness of the construction, it appears to be homemade by the user, definitely not from a wealthy family Because I like to keep items as authentic as possible, I have not oiled it...doing so would enhance the appearance of the wood but I leave th...

This vintage female Seminole Indian doll is made of palm fronds. She wears traditional costume with patchwork skirt, and a yellow bead necklace. Except for her top which is a bit dirty, she is in excellant condition. She is 9 inches tall. Thls doll is one of several Seminole Indian dolls which were brought back from Florida by a loving uncle and given to me as a very young child in the early 1940's

These 3 small oil lamps were brought back to the US by a Baptist missionary who lived and traveled extensively throughout China. Oil lamps like these were used for light source extensively throughout rural China by poor peasants. Simply made, presumed cut from scraps of tin and soldered into shape.. the lids come off for filling with oil and some original home made wicks remain in place. The tallest is 5 inches high...

These 3 Japanese porcelain cups and saucers were hand painted with a delicate landscape scene. They are the matching set to the previously listed Japanese chocolate pot dealers number J157 or troc #1008113. Thought the set was made for chocolate, it can easily be used for tea.

This set of 3 dolls court dolls are each mounted on their original matching stands. Wonderful carved wooden faces with gofun finish. The hands and feet are also carved from wood. A charming set...each doll with the stand is about 6 inches tall.

An unidentified hard wood was used to carve this set of 4 matching wooden saucers. They would have been used for tea bowls and have traditional red/orange lacquer paint over a treebark carved pattern on the front surface. Each saucer was carved into a diamond shape with gently curved sides and are each was carved into a thin, shallow bowl shape. This is a rare and unusual set in very good condition.

Each piece measures 5 inches x 4 inches and 1 inch deep.

Set of 5 matching Qing Dynasty ivory rings carved with dragons circling oval shaped pearl. one ring has stain...