Catalog: Antiques: Regional Art: Asian (363)

Good silk textile with tiger embroidery- all the threads are silk except the black. This was acquired in 1991 and has been sitting in a box ever since then. W: 69cm/27in x L: 149cm/58.5in

Super fine old wool pangden cloth- all hand spun wool and natural dyes. This piece is an exceptionally large piece consisting of 5 panels, circa 40 to 50 years old. I have had quite a few of these in the past and this is one of best I have seen.The weave is very tight and heavy and would make an excellent small blanket or throw rug. In the past these were worn by married women, but these days they are a fashion accoutrement for the modern Tibetan woman...

Nice Thai pottery votive plaque circa early Ayutthaya period. In the center is the Buddha with classic Bhumiparsa mudra, flanked by two pillars and Sukhothai style walking Buddhas. Good condition and guaranteed of the period. H: 6cm/2.4 and W: 5.1cm/2in. Free shipping.

Good antique storage basket from the Bidayuh people of Sarawak. The lid is made from the skin of a sambar deer while the basket plaiting is rattan and the inside is lined with bark. I purchased this Kuching, Sarawak in 1988, and it was old at the time, so it's 38 years older now. There is a hole in the lid as well as some loss to the bark lining- please examine enlargements. H: 5ocm/19in and D: 35.5cm/14in.

Late 19th early 20th century blue satin silk woman’s wide sleeved upper garment (ao/shan). Excellent condition (appears to have never been worn) with glass buttons and greenish patterned lining. All hand sewn upper width: 118cm46in (sleeve end and to sleeve end), mid width 72cm/28in height 108cm/42in (top of collar to bottom)

Old song bird catcher from the Minang people of Central Sumatra. I bought this in Padang in 1988 and it was already old at the time, so I can date this to about 1950. A classic honey trap, right out of the KGB spy book. A hot and seductive female bird is placed in the back of the cage and when a dumb male bird comes along and lands on the perch in front this will trip a peg that will cause the net in the front to come down and now he is caught. See last two enlargements...

Rare 4.9cm/1.9in Thai stoneware bowl from the Sankampaeng kiln circa 15th/16th CE with two fish in the center and scalloped cavetto, there is well done repaired chip on the inner rim noted last enlargement. This is a classic and definitive piece for the Sankampaeng kiln as the incised/impressed fish motif is only found on ceramics from this Thai kiln. There are some blue flambé highlights in the center, probably accidental but quite attractive. D: 21.5cm/8.2in and H: 5cm/2in.

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...

Rare grey pottery recumbent dog, circa Han Dynasty. Traces of original white pigments- very friendly looking “doggo”. Excellent condition. L: 25cm/9.8in and W: (midpoint) 8cm/3.1in.

Rare men’s loin cloth from the Northern Chin, Haka group Burma. Mantle of Merit: Barbara Fraser has a good write up on these, and has a couple of pieces dating to late 19th to early 20th century, she also writes these were rarely used after 1950 circa first half 20th century. The two end panels are different colors of which the lighter blue colored is original while the darker piece.. Made from hand spun cotton with silk patterns...

Rare 4.9cm/1.9in Thai green glazed stoneware bowl from the Sankampaeng kiln circa 15th/16th CE with two fish in the center and scalloped cavetto, there is well done repaired chip on the inner rim noted last enlargement. This is a classic and definitive piece for the Sankampaeng kiln as the incised/impressed fish motif is only found on ceramics from this Thai kiln. There are some blue flambé highlights in the center, probably accidental but quite attractive...

Special offer: 4 Tang Dynasty terra cotta statues, all have had repair i.e. heads glued back on- (two are not the original heads). The amber glazed figure has the original sancai glaze though not very shiny. Dimensions note in enlargement text.

Special Offer: Marked down from $250- now $200. Green mottled glazed censer with classic little bears as legs, some loss of glaze in the back noted in enlargements and a few chips on the mouth rim and legs. D: 21cm/8.2in and H: 13.2cm/5.2in.

Unusual pottery bowl with hand molded snake handle. I cannot find any pieces similar in style to this although the reddish clay and heavy potting are reminiscent of Hongshan pottery. This came out of China and has a good petrichor and water absorption on the base, very old- at least 2000 to 3000 years old but probably older. W: 14cm/5.5in and H: 12cm/4.7in.

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.

Ten pieces of old natural coral, acquired individually (piece by piece), over 20 years ago in Northern Thailand originating from various hill tribe ethnic groups. Excellent color and may be worn singly or as a group. 31 grams total. Scale noted in enlargements in metric. Free shipping.

Quirky Cizhou type, heavy, completely black glazed, waisted beaker from circa Ming Dynasty. Possibly this was used in a Chinese Apothecary, but this is just a best guess to its function. The hole on the bottom was made prior to firing and is part of the original design. Lovely thick glaze and aside from a couple of chips on the outside of the foot, in very good condition. H: 13cm/5.1in- width at base : 8.7cm/3.8in and width at mouthrim : 11cm/4.3in.

Charming Ming Dynasty bowl with a pattern of a water buffalos in three different poses, there is hairline crack and gold leaf and lacquer repaired chip. D: 11.5cm/4.5in and H: 4.5cm/1.8in.

Old nephrite chord fastener, this shape and style are usually associated with horse tack and bridles. This archaic style has been found in the Tang and Liao periods. L: 2.7cm/1.1in, W: 2.1cm/o.8in and 1cm/0.4in thick. 12 grams.

Finely detailed carved bamboo bitong with five panels depicting classic three friends of winter and scholar themes. I bought this in Guangxi Zhuang, in 1995, late Republic period. There is a hole intentionally drilled at the bottom, otherwise excellent condition. H: 13.4cm/5.2in and D: 6.8cm/2.8in.

Fine cowrie shell necklace from northwest Burma, probably Naga on a hand woven macramé cotton cord. This is an old set, circa 80 years with an excellent worn natural patina and almost porcelain like surface these need to be handled to be appreciated. Please note that each bead is hand carved to nest into the other so when strung together and worn the necklace hangs in a circular fashion...

Set of three white vintage, Burmese jadeite “bi” pendants with bails D: 30mm, 6 grams each and a pair of thick greenish jadeite “bi” pendants with beveled edges inside and out, D:27mm and thickness 6mm 9 grams each. All good pieces.

A timely and quirky soy brown glazed Korean War era chopstick holder with political slogans. The left hand column translates as “support your family and the Chinese military”, the right hand “oppose America, support Korea” and the top characters “increase productivity”. Possibly used in a factory canteen this is the only ceramic I have ever seen from this brief period...

Tang terra cotta image of a Fat Lady. Traces of original pigment with legible facial features (note noted in enlargements). This is the smallest one I have ever seen- miniatures are extremely rare. H: 6.2cm. The bottom is uneven (just appears to have been made that way) there are traces of glue where it was probably once attached to a stand, otherwise, good condition- no damage or repair.

Very fine, unusually small Tang image of a courtier, excellent condition with complete original pigments. Lovely face with calm and dignified expression. H: 17cm/6.8in

Two rare Burmese/Shan small betel containers, 60 to 100 years old with “ku-nan kan byat” patterns and original inner trays. Genuine antique Burmese lacquer is almost impossible to find these days; I picked the larger one up in a small shop Luang Prabang, Laos in 1998. H: 8.7cm/3.4in and W: 10.2cm/4in, and the smaller one, H: 6.7cm/2.7in and D: 7.7cm/3in, in Chiang Mai this year. These have some old repairs, as well as a pleasing craclature typical of antique Burmese lacquer.

Two antique Indian charms from Tamil Nadu. The larger one is an Araimudi, in the shape of fig leaf and was by worn by young village girls to protect their “modesty”, the smaller one was probably worn as an amulet with a granulated image of a feminine deity. Free shipping via Hong Registered Airmail. Large is H: 6.3cm/ 2.4in x W: 5.3 cm/2in, the smaller one is H: 4.4cm/ 1.7in x W: 3.2 cm/1.2in. Big one is 31 grams and small one 15 grams

Very rare, Gulong Miao children’s jacket from Guizhou. This is a side opening style, made from all hand woven cloth (except for the inner sleeve lining) with hand embroidered anthropomorphic figures, on a calendared greenish cotton ground. This pattern was only used on children’s clothing from this Miao subgroup. Excellent condition. Width: 75cm/29.5in (sleeve tip to sleeve tip) Length: 39cm/15.3in (collar to bottom). Free shipping.

Very long strand of made in Boshan, Shandong Province, Chinese wound glass trade beads 114cm/48in. Average D: 7mm/.25in. These were acquired in Northern Thailand in the 1980s, these should date to 1950 or earlier, the opaque white beads in the strand are Qing Dynasty. This type of bead was widely traded throughout Southeast Asia for centuries and amongst the Akha people considered to be heirlooms. Free shipping via Hong registered airmail. Great for bead designers.

Rare scholar’s item, Yue type glazed brushwasher in the shape of an alms bowl, circa 500-600CE from a southern kiln. This has two hairline cracks running off the rim (please see enlargements). Fired with a dense dark gray clay. D: 6.8cm/3.4in and H: 4.3cm/1.6in. Free shipping.

Beautiful, unopened, three paneled, semi antique, woman’s sarong from Flores Island (probably Ende), Indonesia. Circa 1950 +/-. All hand spun and woven cotton and natural dyes. Very soft and in perfect condition. The incorporation of indigo dyes is quite subtle giving it the depth. L: 142cm/56in and W: 158cm/60in. Free Shipping

Rubbing taken from a Han Dynasty tomb vault wall depicting an elegant royal mounted entourage being greeted by courtiers. Excellent detail, horizontally mounted as a scroll with textured silk border. The calligraphy translates “Outstanding old scene” signed Zhao Jianchang. L: 197cm/76in x H: 58cm/23in, with mounting-L: 243cm/95in and W: 68cm/27in.

Charming box with sliding lid at the top carved into the shape of an elephant, circa early 20th century with traces of original lacquer. Please examine the enlargements to see the harness and trappinsg carved into the body. Good condition. L: 17.5cm6.9in and H: 10.2cm/4in.

Beautiful traditional Chinese brush painting of the Buddha mounted on a beige silk scroll, excellent condition. He is sitting on a lotus throne with his right hand raised in the Shuni mudra symbolizing patience and discipline. There is an apocryphal dating of 1845 Buddha’s Birthday, Daoguang reign and signature of Reqin. Mounted size is L: 203cm/80in and W: 78cm/31in- actual painting size is L:131cm/51in and W: 66cm/26in. Circa last quarter of 20th century.

Good Cizhou type high fired, well balanced, ovoid soy glazed with russet highlights jar from a northern kiln, circa- Five Dynasties to Northern Song. There is a possible chip on the outer mouthrim (see enlargement)- difficult to tell if this happened after firing or before. There are remnants of kiln supports on the concave foot. H: 9.6cm/3.8in and D: 10.3cm/4in.

Exquisite Chinese satin silk hand embroidered and hand sewn jacket and pleated skirt with drawstring waistband. Pristine condition, circa 1930s or 1940s, see last enlargement for reference. Jacket dimensions- sleeve to sleeve width at shoulder: 127cm/50in, length shoulder to bottom : 68cm/26in and width in the middle: 92cm/36in. Skirt length: 82cm/32in (not including fringe) and waist: 72cm/28in. Still very wearable!