Catalog: Antiques: Regional Art: Asian: Southeast Asian (108)

Unusual collection of 6 old “prayer cloths” from a Taoist Master’s ceremonial robe (see last enlargement). For generic purpose’s these should be considered to be from the Mien group as they came from Vietnam and are circa 50 to 60 years old- woven from handspun cotton. They all have the same basic pattern indicating they are probably from the same priest’s outfit. These used to be quite easy to get about 20 years ago but now almost impossible to find...

Very fine red lacquered saber (dao) scabbard fitting from the Nùng people Vietnam. They are well known for their sword making so it makes sense they would put the same effort into their accoutrements. This is an old semi antique piece circa 1950 excellent condition and intricate carving. L: 14cm/5.5in W: 5.9cm/2.3in and Thickness 2.4cm/1in.

Good bronze bell from the Vietnamese Bronze Age, late Dongson Culture- Dong Khoi phase, circa 600 BCE-200CE. No breakage or repair comes with simple perspex stand. H: 9.6mm/3.8in and base W: 7.3cm/2.8in. Free shipping

Pair of old hand carved spoons from the Island of Timor. 1#Classic intricately carved heirloom buffalo horn spoon. Length: 23.5cm/9.2in. 2# Anthropomorphic spoon carved from a coconut shell. L: 15.4cm/6in and W: 6.2cm2.5in. Both are circa mid-20th century and in very good condition.

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.

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.

Very finely detailed hand carved bone lime box from Timor, circa mid 20th century, with wooden stopper. L 10cm/4.1in. Included is anthropomorphic stopper from the Bataks near Lake Toba, Sumatra. They’re unrelated but somehow look like they belong together.

Very fine, signed, men’s blanket from the Biboki, Feotle'u area West Timor, Indonesia. The the name of the weaver’s family, were woven into this. W: 114cm/44.8in and L: 186cm/73in, except for the yellow and blue lines this is woven from all naturally dyed handspun thread. Dating circa 1950 to 1960.

Three antique Timorese wooden statues commemorating a departed loved one. These were kept in the “attic” of a home and were not meant to be free standing. I bought this from an old Australian collection which was collected in the 1980s in West Timor, so these date circa 1950’s to 1960s. Carved from hard wood in good condition with minor checks in the wood, please examine enlargements for condition and scale.

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.

Good bamboo handled knife with hand forged blade from the Karen ethnic group Northern Thai/Burma border. Total length 31cm/12in with good sharp edge- small nick at the tip off the blade which could be honed out, about 60 years old.

Powerful Buddha image from the Tai Lue ethnic group from the Burma, Lao, Thai border region AKA “Golden Triangle”. Superficially these “folk images” lack the grace and serenity of the urban classical styles, but speak more from the heart of the people, as personal devotional merit making acts. This piece dates to around the 18th century; the “waisted” pedestal is typical of this period...

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...

Exceptional semi antique, over 70 years old, two paneled Tai Daeng (Red Tai) blanket from Northern Laos with supplementary weft silk Chinese Shou longevity character medallions and key fret design. The last time I was in Vientiane (13 years ago) textiles of this quality are no longer to be found. There are two repairs noted in enlargements 2 & 3 as well as some minor weft design loss...

Beautiful pre Viet Nam War woman’s sarong from the Stieng/Xtiêng ethnic group Vietnam. Semi antique/vintage over 50 years old, all hand spun and woven. The center red and black panel is quite striking. Some minor old repairs on the selvedge and the stitches holding the panels together have unraveled in a couple of places, but otherwise no tears, holes or stains. L 135cm/53in and W: 66cm/26in.

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.

Very rare lacquer box with geometrical pattern and convex shaped lid and bottom. The lacquer is quite thick on this piece with an unusual motif. I have only seen two boxes in this style which came out of Yunnan, China, so these may have been made as trade items to Yi minority who seem to make similar, though less sophisticated, patterned lacquer pieces. This was made in the first half of the 20th century, and except for a chip on the lid surface it is in excellent condition...

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.