Catalog (85)

This traditional style of India woman's necklace has a bead at the ends which slides to adjust the length of the necklace to suit the wearer. The silver pendant would hold a lingam stone and has a cluster of small silver balls attached using a technique called "goli". The balls are not welded to the base, but are attached with a wire, giving them some slight movement.

In Tibetan Buddhism, the Kartika, or Drigug, is a ritual flaying knife used in burial rituals, with the handle crafted as a dorje. A tool of the wrathful female deities known as Dakinis, the kartika symbolizes the cutting of all things material, symbolized by the human body. The blade is left dull (never sharpened) because it was used in a ritual representing the flaying of flesh and not for the actual purpose.

This headdress would have been worn by a young Pashtun woman. It is heavily beaded and decorated with wonderful embroidery, and various buttons and coins. The Pashtun range across Afghanistan, Pakistan and Northern India. This hat was sourced in India but it may not have started there.

The head dress hat is 25 inches long and is in excellent condition.

Worn for festival, this shapely Tibetan belt is covered with black and coral colored beads, cowrie shells and has a central medallion of silver with turquoise beads. The belt is secured around the waist with cord ties which extend from each side, I have used it as a wall decoration. At the widest section, the belt is 4 inches...The entire beaded length is 26 inches, but with the cord ties it will accommodate a large waist size

Hand made from quality leather and decorated with delicate thread embroidery at the toe tips and last border, the traditional pair of womans leather shoes would have been worn by a woman of some means...judging by their overall condition, these shoes have been worn a few times.

This belt would have been worn for festival gatherings. Decorated with beads, cowrie shells and central turquoise medallion the belt strap is narrow approx 1.25 inched wide. Hanging from the belt are beaded strands in graduated lengths with each strand ending with a cowrie shell. There is a cord tie attached so that the belt can be tied at the back of the wearer. It is a lovely piece

This old vintage brass pendant has a seated Buddha detailed on the front with good stone work. The back of the pendant depicts a double has dorjie. Measured on the diagonals...2.5 inches x 2.75 inches.

Tibetan snuff bottle with wood body, with decorative silver base and shoulders. The silver work shows a bird with elaborate wing feathers and thin handles on either side of the bottle. The stopper lid is capped with coral and the spoon is also silver. The condition is very good. Bottle measures 3" x 2"

Suspended from a small leather belt loop, this old Mongolian pipe pouch has trekked a long way. This ethnographic relic was clearly hand-made, with a simple closure of leather thongs tied into a traditional knot, and a few beads add a decorative element. For pipe cleaning, there is added piece of twisted metal wire decorated with green thread. Approx 12" long and about 3" at the widest point. It is a relic from a nomadic ethnic culture and its condition... well used with the patina that ...

This is a Tibetan Ritual Celestial Crown also know as a Diadem or Ringga. It is worn by a necromancer or oracle during rituals. The "crown" consists of 5 separate paintings on paper and each painting is backed with thin cardboard for stiffness. The sections are connected with string. When worn, the crown is tied around the head with string. The sections are painted with the five Dhayani, celestial Buddhas, each painted with his traditional color and gesture. Each section is 4 wide by 6.5 h...

Instead of shoes, sandals such as these were worn in villages throughout India. Hand carved from indigenous woods, frequently teak and fitted to the individual wearer. The knob on the toe prevented the sandals from falling off and no other attachment was used.

This Tibetan talisman has a sealed leather herb bag hanging on each side of a small bronze sitting Buddha which is also displayed in a leather casing. The Buddha is depicted as holding a small bottle. All 3 pieces are hanging from a matching leather strap so that it could be worn around the neck of the individual.

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. It is rare to find these old textiles from India intact as many of them where cut up into smaller sections and sold to textile colle...

The Tibetan leather flint pouch (aka strike a light) is properly known as a "mechag" (me = fire , chag = iron) or fire iron. This Tibetan flint pouch is decorated with ornate silver and bronze ornamentation with an inset red bead which appears to be a replacement for the original bead. The pouch would have been secured to the wears belt with the attached leather strap.

This is large strike a light ...the strike plate spans 6.5 inches and the purse including handle is 5 inches high...an wide...

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.

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

Lovely old pair of matching Tibetan tea bowls. Carved from burl wood with silver/metal decoration around the foot and silver liner inside the bowls. bowls are roughly 2 inches high and 3.75 inches diameter across the rimmed bowl

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

This woven Tibetan container would have been used to hold a pair of wooden tea bowls...there is an interior separator (removable) which allows for the separation of tea bowls. Hand made using plant materials (hemp) and rattan with leather closures Bowls would have been packed into container such as this when traveling... and from the condition of this one...it has traveled many times. The container is 6 inches diameter at the top and 4 inches high...well aged fair condition...

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

Delicately carved with a floral motif, is horn was used to give domestic animals medicine. It is Chinese ethnic minority probably from Inner Mongolia. Horn is about 6" long and has small chip at the end of the bowl. It is a wonderful ethnographic piece for the tribal arts collector

The front of this Tibetan Flint Pouch is decorated with silver and bronze ornamentation and an inset coral bead. The back is decorated with bronze buttons to protect the leather from excessive wear. The pouch still has its original leather strap which would have been used to secure the pouch to the wearers belt.

Flint was an essential and valuable item for nomadic and indigenous cultures and as such was frequently carries in pouch specifically designed for its use.

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. Today, ...

this antique Tibetan pendant may have originally been used as earring or clothing ornament. I have slipped a simple black cord so it can now be used as a necklace. Coral and turquoise beads and silver decorations are all strung on a long silver post, so they can pivot around. the silver filigree disc at the bottom is missing one small filigree wire element, and possibly there was one a small stone in the middle of the disc...pendant measures 3+ inches long

This antique Mongolian belt evokes the image of Mongolian horseman galloping across the plains... The chain is heavily patinated from age and use. The deeply doomed central medallion retains the original stained dark finish and highlighted gold (unknown source) on the border and central decoration. This piece is heavy... the central medallion is 6+ inches across,3.5 inches wide, and 3+ inches deep.

This Tibetan shrine shaped gau (aka prayer box) is actually a religious shrine. When not being worn as an ornament during festivals, it would be kept in the prayer niche of the family home. The back of the box slides open. Frequently, a special prayer i.e. sutra pages would be placed inside. The small glass window at the front displays a Tsa tsa, which is a clay statue of a Buddhist Diety. These statues were made only by the monks and considered to be a holy relic. This antique gau has a f...

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...

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 old drum from Nepal was used for festival and carried in parades. The man would use the left hand to hold the drum by the handmade ropes across the back of the drum. He would use the right hand to strike the drum skin. The chains and metal bits hanging from the bottom would add an extra "jangle" sound while drum moving. Clearly made as folk art instrument, the drum is somewhat out of round and about 18" at the widest diameter.

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 old Mongolian artifact was made from leather hides sewn together with leather cord and then formed into a servicable shape approximating an irregular bottle. Handling and pouring was aided by the wooden handles.

A folk art object approx 150 years old and used for many years as a sake container saki. It is approx 19 inches high and 16 inches at the widest point about 10 inches deep.

This antique bracelet from Tibet is both thick and weighty, but it is very small for a Western wrist. The opening measures a scant 1 inch.

According to many Indians, this old juicer would also doubled as a pasta maker. With the carved animal heads on each side, and great aged patina, it makes an interesting sculptural artifact of India's culture.

Measures 12 high, 10 inches wide and 6 inches deep.

This Tibetan Priest's rattle is carved from horn and has a bone cap on the end. It was used by the Monk during ceremonial rituals and would have been shaken to ward off evil spirits. This horn was hand carved with many Tibetan Buddist symbols. All the edges are worn smooth with use and repeated handling.

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. An Ancestors tooth, not bone, hangs from one of the talismans to...

This antique Tibetan neckace bronze pendent has a cast bronze pendent with coral and turquoise beads. The pendent is suspended from a hand made chain.