Catalog: Antiques: Regional Art: Asian (368)

350.00 Wearable, rare Northern Chin, woman’s, ceremonial, embroidered skirt circa 50 to 80 years old, Chin State, Burma. All hand woven in two panels with a silk warp and cotton weft, and natural dye. There is some minor fading in a few places (doesn't look in real life as the photos indicate) but the condition and quality of the cloth is outstanding...

Magnificent large Northern Thailand red and black lacquer box with foliate and floral scroll pattern, circa late 19th to early 20th century, most likely produced at a Chiang Mai workshop. Very light weight original top and bottom, best example I’ve seen in over 20 years. There is craquelure as is typical from antique Southeast Lacquer and very small color and lacquer loss due to use, please examine close ups. D: 26cm/10.1in and H: 10cm/4in.

Special offer- marked down from $600. Fine three panel wedding blanket from the Bouyi (Buyi) ethnic group Libo County, Guizhou, China. The Bouyi are a relatively small ethnic group- so embroideries from them have become quite scarce. The supplementary weft “well” patterned embroidery is silk except for the black medallions- the field is all handspun cotton. The black border is a later addition made from hand woven cotton. Circa mid 20th century very good condition...

Ensemble of vintage silver and ancient banded agate beads from Sri Lanka. These were acquired in Kandy in 1998 or 1989, the banded agates are all hand carved and are at least 1000 years old (conservatively). The silver beads are high content silver and intricately crafted with a 24K Asian style fastener. L: 52cm/20.5in. Combined eight 34 grams. See last enragement for scale. Free shipping.

Pair of matched naturally stressed wooden plaques with “couplet”, encouraging harmony and peace. Traditionally Chinese write to right to left so the meaning of the board on the right encourages one to “admit your mistakes to avoid trouble in the world” while the one on the left, encourages one to “be tolerant, to live in peace”. It has been suggested to me that these may be have been hung in an old Kung Fu studio as this would express the spirit of martial arts...

Good large Ming sancai ceramic wedding bed. These were interred in tombs of wealthy individuals to serve them in the afterlife. Nowadays they burn paper replicas instead. This piece has ornate eves in green and amber glaze, no cracks but some minor fritting. It is a large and heavy piece so free international shipping is offered via surface mail, if you would like a faster service than the buyer will pay the additional costs. Personally I have always thought these were ancestor shrines...

Exceptionally rare baby blanket from the Tujia weavers of Longshan County, Hunan Province, China. I have been looking for one of these for years and this is the first complete blanket I have ever found, albeit the lower two border panels come from a different piece. This incorporates the unique white tiger motif (see enlargement #3) which is believed to give the baby protection. For the Tujia the white Tiger is a totemic ancestor deity...

Special Offer- free shipping! Lovely Japanese presentation or tea tray, made from a naturally hollowed out section of the bottom of a tree trunk “cat face”. This should be mid 20th century. I think it would make a stunning planter (see enlargement #9). D: 28cm/11in and H: 17cm/6.8in.

Fine old Cambodian lacquered woven bamboo betel box. No damage or restoration other than natural wear, as to be expected. Any lacquer coming from Southeast Asia with no signs of use is a strong indicator that its new. Circa 60 to 90 years old. D: 21.5cm/8.5in and H: 9cm/3.5in

Rare Ming porcelain classic “eight trigram” design censer from the Jingdezhen kiln, with celadon glaze, on three small feet. This is easily mistaken for a stoneware Longquan ware, so please view last enlargements to see the white clay showing through the unglazed portion, unlike the grayish clay from Longquan. This piece is perfect condition. D: 13cm/5.1in and H: 5cm/2in.

Good Tamil, carved wood temple panel of the Hindu God Shiva manifested as Virabhadra, he is brandishing a sword and holds a shield. This was acquired in the late 1990s from a well-known Sri Lanka dealer and collector, from Kandy. This is a heavy (1.7kg), possibly Jack Fruit woodcarving...

A pair of small “utility” knives made by Iban people of Sarawak, East Malaysia. These were frequently carried in the sheaths of their larger brothers, the Dayak mandau. The blades are hand forged, possibly scavenged steel from the leaf springs form an old car. Circa last half of the 20th century. The longer thinner knife has carved deer horn at one end (repaired see enlargement) . See enlargements to see details of the carvings. Both blades are sharp and serviceable...

Gorgeous old silk brocade supplementary weft embroidered on cotton backing from the Mulao ethnic group, circa first half 20th CE. The foundation is woven with handspun blue cotton threads and silk weft embroidered, phoenix, butterfly and floral images against a “key fret” background. L: 109cm/42in and W: 68cm/26in (with cotton border L: 128cm/50in and W: 83cm/32in)...

Ma Quan was a female artist active in 17th and 18th centuries famous for her birds and flower paintings. This is a homage to her made in the 20th century, hand painted ink on paper traditionally mounted on a silk paper scroll. H: 126cm/50in and W: 63cm/24in- mounted dimensions H: 200cm/78in and W: 78cm/30in.

Ming Dynasty Tudigong 土地公 Rare Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 CE) pottery image of the Taoist “folk” God, Tudi Gong. He is a very popular God and is considered a community guardian, which is why you will see his small shrines in rural villages and urban neighborhoods, venerated by common people. Literally he is an erath God (God of the soil)...

Four shades of Pyu glass beads excavated near the ancient Pyu city of Sri Kstera, (modern day Pyay), Burma, circa 200CE- 1100CE. Beads from Sri Ksetra are well documented in Early Landscapes of Burma- Elizabeth Moore & Early Cultures of Mainland Southeast Asia- Charles Higham. Please see enlargements for scale. The green beads are very rare, and their colors are sublime, I have seen black beads in mixed strands before but this only one I have ever seen that is completely black. Please en...

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 old red and black lacquered Cambodian Siri (betel) box container. This has the original small feet on the bottom, very difficult to find these days. There is wear in the tray from use but otherwise 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. D: 25.7cm/910.5i...