Catalog: Antiques: Regional Art (370)

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...

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.

200.00 Large pale green glazed plate with incised decoration, most likely fired at the Thantwe kiln near present day Rangoon, Burma. Excavated from the Tak Burial site near, Mae Sot along the Thai/Burmese border. This can be reliably dated to least 14th/16th centuries due to other known and datable ceramics from China and Thailand that were found in the same strata...

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.

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.

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...

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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