Catalog: Antiques (376)

Very rare antique lacquer box from the Southern Shan States circa late 19th CE to early 20th CE. This a complete set (which is rare in itself these days). The pattern though simple is exquisitely detailed. Some craquelure on the surface, as is expected and few minor chips at the bottom of the lid. H 13.7cm/5.4in and D: 15.5cm/6.1in.

Beautiful old classic Lao shoulder clothe, all natural dyes with hand spun silk threads. I picked this up on my first trip to Laos in the mid 1990s, at the Talat Sao Market, Vientiane and would date this to the 1970/80s. The fabric is incredibly soft and supple and may be worn (it is amazingly warm) as a scarf or hung as wall art. It has a few loose threads on the selvedge but otherwise in excellent condition with no holes or tears. W: 38cm/15in and L: 243cm/8ft...

Lovely Chinese basket most likely woven by the Zhuang or another of the many ethnic minorities in Guangxi Zhuang, China where I bought this over 20 years ago. This woven from split reed stalks and has a nice soft feel to it. This piece is quite old, 50 to 100 years (best guess). It has an unusual trapezoidal/oval shape and I like it for its sturdy simplicity. Minor unraveling of some of the weaves here and there but in very good condition given it age...

Ensemble of 3 old Chinese furniture maker’s planes. See text in last three enlargements for details,

Ikat sarong from the upland Karen (Pwo or Sgaw) ethnic group in Northern Thailand. This is woven from all handspun cotton thread and natural dyes. Acquired in the 1980s, it has never been used and as such may be described as being in pristine original condtion. The cloth coming these people nowadays, are nowhere near this quality. W: 87cm/34in and L: 152cm/61in.

Nice old red and black lacquered Cambodian Siri (betel) box container with foliate scroll pattern incised on the surface. Minor lacquer losses and restoration consistent with an antique piece. The art of Cambodian lacquer production has had a minor renaissance in recent years but this mainly done for the decorative art export market, items made for local village use this has pretty much died out after Khmer Rouge Era and advent of cheap Chinese plastic boxes...

Good semi antique, Timor ikat textile (circa 1960’s) with two crisp “rooster” (which symbolizes masculinity) indigo and white bands running the length of the cloth. Excellent condition- no damage. Natural dyes and hand spun cotton threads. L: 194cm/76 (not including threads at the end) and W: 103cm/40.5in.

Woman's Blanket from the Chin, Mizo people of Assam or Western Burma. This type of “prestige cloth” would be worn only by women on ceremonial occasions. Some stains, splits at the ends but exceptionally rare and very fine weaving incorporating several techniques. Silk warp cotton weft. Approximately circa 50- 80 years old. W: 101cm/40in and L: 236cm/93in

Hand carved Chinese Boxwood (Buxus L.), dorje/vajra “thunderbolt”. Nice patina with a wonderfully smooth surface. In tandem with a bell, these are used in Tantric rituals. L: 15cm/5.9in. free shipping.

Beautiful women’s apron style skirt from the Bahnar (Ba Na) ethnic group, Central Highlands of Vietnam. Woven from fine handspun cotton using all indigo and natural dyes. The weaving is very intricate and refined. This piece is has small tear at the corner (see last enlargement) and a couple of frays but otherwise excellent condition and dates to 1960 to 1970. Google Bahnar Bob Mc Kerrow to view photos of women wearing this kind of garment taken in the early 70s...

Beautiful old Zhuang minority textile from Guangxi Zhuang/Guizhou province, China. Woven in two panels with silk embroidered “diamond and star” patterned border, "wanzi" swastika key fret and well symbols...

Very rare early 20th century textile from the Mulao ethnic group Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Province. Little is known about these textiles other than they show a close affinity with Maonan weavings and are no longer being woven by this people. This is a two paneled blanket with original border and supplementary weft silk and cotton embroidered pattern of birds, mythical animals and flowers on a cotton field “key fret” pattern...

Classic semi antique Laotian textile from the Tai Daeng ethnic group. This was acquired in 1991, just when Lao was opening itself for tourism and was about 30 years old at the time so this would date pre Vietnam War era. It is mounted onto a commercial Chinese chintz cloth border (looks original), made from all hand spun cotton and silk thread in the embroidery (except for the black pattern). There is one small repair noted in enlargements...

Traditional scroll painting of what I am assuming is the Chinese ideal of a courtesan putting her make up on in morning. This was painted in the year of the Fire Rat- 1936 or 1996. I would tend put this at the earlier date because the paper shows some age and this has been newly remounted, as well as the style is evoking feeling of a French boudoir. W: 33cm /13in x H: 72cm/28.5in- mounted W: 56cm/22in x H: 138cm/54.5in.

Fine old Burma lacquerware box. This piece is quite rare in that it is a complete set with three compartments on top and one shallow “hidden” compartment in the base. There is an old repair on the cracquelure on the lid as well as some traditional restoration on the undecorated portions. This is an early 20th century piece (possibly 19th century) from the Gadu-Ganan region, Shan State. D: 16.cm/6.2in and W: 16cm/6.2in.

Nice heavy Jadeite Bi with subtle green and lavender highlights. There is a crack running all the way through it, an enterprising jeweler could cut this in half and have two usable attractive pieces. D: 5.1cm/2in and 91mm/36in thick. 66 grams. Free shipping via Hong Kong international registered mail.

Ensemble of 6 breast panels from the Khami or Mro subgroup of the Chin ethnic group, Arrakan State Burma. Antique 1950s or older. Sizes- L: 66cm26in and W: 34cm/13.4in (more or less). Condition as pictured.

Cambodian semi antique Khmer basket circa pre 1950. Excellent condition, with natural lacquer and some painted design. Woven with split bamboo it is still quite serviceable, please view enlargements to appreciate the detail of this weave- you will not find any genuinely old baskets in Cambodia anymore (or anywhere else for that matter). Dimensions: 27cm/11.8in diameter and 15cm/6in height. There is some damage to the footrim noted in last enlargement.

Eclectic strand of spherical wood, cylindrical bone and wild boar's incisor tooth beads, from the Naga or possibly Chin ethnic group in Myanmar. Some of the bone beads have been dyed to resemble pumtek heirloom beads, maybe using wax resist method. These were collected in the 1980s and had some age at the time so I will date around 1960. Total L: 71cm/28in. Free shipping via Hong Kong Registered Airmail.

Old hand carved wooden ink pad box circa first half 20th century. I think this is probably a Yao item, but as I purchased it in a Bai ethnic minority market in Yunnan, over 20 years ago, we’ll assume it is Bai. This has a floral pattern carved on the lid. The ink has long ago dried up. Nice natural patina. L: 7.2cm/2.9in x W: 5.8cm/2.3in x H: 3.2cm/1.3in.

Rare, very rugged leather tobacco box from the Bai ethnic group in Yunnan, China. This was purchased in rural Yunnan at a Bai market, near Dali over 20 years ago. One can assume this craft is no longer being done with the availability of cheap plastic items as well as the migration of artisans to better paying jobs in the city. There are some tiny lacquer losses to the surface. I W: 9.8cm/4.9in x H:5.5cm/2.2in & 8cm/3.1in x 6cm/2.4in. Free shipping.

Nice old Lahu bamboo woven basket (there is some rattan used in the bindings), from the Golden Triangle region in Northern Thailand. This is a genuine ethnic/tribal piece and not made for the tourist trade. There is a carrying strap that comes with this but it is not woven into the basket itself. The basket is in excellent condition while the strap has some brittleness where it folds. H: 22cm/8.5in and D: 23cm/9in.

Finely woven Iban women’s kain skirt, circa 1940 with “eye of the green pigeon” and bamboo pattern, from the Kapit area, Sarawak, Malaysia. Fine and tight weaves like this, indicate that owner was from a high status. There is one repair noted in enlargements. This ikat is made from all handspun and natural dyes while the colored bands are commercial thread. L: 115cm/42.5in and W: 57cm/22.5in.

Charming antique delicate and intricately carved gold lacquered panel depicting the opulent setting inside a rich person’s house at night. Please, note the three rats, the Rat in the Chinese Zodiac represents ”wisdom, wealth and prosperity”. L: 37cm/14/5in x W: 13.5cm/13.5in. Excellent condition- one minor flaw note in enlargements.

Nice old Cambodian “siri” box. This piece predates the Khmer Rouge regime and circa 60 or 70 years old. In good condition, this has an unusual 4 carved bamboo bands- most only have 1 or 2, so it is quite ornate There is no significant damage other expected signs of use and wear. In recent years Khmer lacquerware is making a comeback, however most of this is used for “home décor” export items, as far as I know no one is currently resurrected items for common household use...

Rare “spirit calling” bell from the Yao Mien ethnic group of Guangxi, Vietnam, Laos. This would be used in Daoist ceremonies by Dao Guang priests and an example may be seen in Jess Pourret’s book: The Yao, plate 570, pg 207. The bell is attached to a bear’s tooth and has a "sweet" tone. This a genuinely old piece, circa late 19to early 20 the century. Please see last enlargement for scale. Free shipping.

Lovely carved nephrite pendant with classic “cat on a leaf” motif. This piece has been re-carved to appear as the cat is sitting on a peapod (peapods being one of the myriad of Chinese symbols wishing one to have many children), but was really done to hide the damage on the sides of a larger leaf. This sill retains it’s essence of “kittyness” as she reposes languidly on the leaf. L: 7cm/2.8in. Free shipping.

Rare black Lanna lacquer box circa 70 to 90 years old in excellent condition given its age, no repairs or big chunk missing, from Chiang Mai. Genuine old examples of Thai lacquer are quite rare these days as most have been bought up by Thai collectors. H: 8.7cm/3.4in and D: 11cm/4.2in.

Semi antique Timor sarong made from all natural dyes and handspun cotton circa 1950/1960. Both top and bottom have “buna” weft embroidered panels. There is 7cm x 4cm piece missing on one edge, noted in enlargements. L: 110cm/43.2in and H: 103cm/40.5in.

Rare and quirky Rawang/Nung small storage basket from the Rawang enthnic group, Kachin State, Northern Burma. Rough plaiting but quite charming, the top of the lid has worn through- only the second of this style of plaiting, I have encountered over many years. H: 28cm/10.2in and W: (at base) 16.2cm/6.5in. Very old.

Charming votive folk embroidery, from the Saurashtra area of Gujarat, made by the Kanbi farmers caste, circa 50/60 years old. The two ply field is woven from all hand spun rough cotton thread; hand dyed silk thread and small glass mirrors. Ganesh is flanked by two female consorts and his “vehicle” of mice beneath him. These are brought out during religious and auspicious festivals, he traditionally has been viewed as the remover obstacles. Excellent condition. W: 54cm/21.1in and H: 56cm/22in...

Fine old Shan Burmese lacquer box, circa early 20th century with one tray and depicting monkeys playing in foliate background. This piece is a real classic beauty (IMHO). There are a couple of repairs at the edge of the rim noted in enlargements as well as craclature on the surface and nicks around the foot. H: 19.2cm/7.6in and D: 22cm/8in.

Charming and unusually small black and red lacquer vessel from Kenteng, Shan State, Burma. A very cute piece and genuinely old- circa 80 years. This piece is uncommon in that it has six feet instead of the usual four. The entire piece is covered in red lacquer with a black lacquer overcoat on the outside. There is surface craqueleur as to be expected from authentic old lacquer but no breakage in the body. D: 13.5cm/5.3in and H: 8.2cm/3.2in.

Unusual Miao embroidered central panel, of a wedding apron costume. There is a coiled dragon in the center with two phoenixes above- surrounded with longevity characters, anthropomorphic and zoomorphic figures. It has a tattered calendered silk black border silk weft embroidered all the threads are handspun. The orange dye has bled into the white field some, so please see enlargements. H: 61.5cm/24.2in x D: 33cm/13in. Circa early-mid 20th century

Eight mysterious skull beads, these came out of China, and have a powdery white coating (I assume to give them the look of excavated items). These are individually made of glass and were purchased in Hong Kong about 20 years ago. Each bead is 15mm x 11mm. Free shipping.

Nice old Thai sticky rice “lunch box”, from the Karen ethnic group Northern Thailand. This is about 40 or 50 tears old with typical double wall construction. There are areas that have been lovingly repaired with some nylon cord...