Catalog (126)

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

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. L: 27cm/10.6i...

Rare and unique (one of a kind), antique large Thai “parang” or “machete”, general purpose bush knife which was used in cutting and splitting rattan and bamboo. The handle is made of old, and nowadays rare, Thai Rosewood: Dalbergia cochinchinensis which has a nice chatoyance to the grain (sort of looks like Huanghuali to me 降香黄檀). The cutting edge is still sharp and usable; there are a couple of splits which is secured by a metal band. L: 64cm/25.2in.

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. The Tai Daeng are generally acknowledged to be the best weavers in Laos and their contemporary piec...

Rare Zo/Tedem "tawnok"- reference "The Art of the Zo: Philadelphia Museum of Art". The Tedum aka Tiddim are a subgroup of the Chin, who live mostly in Northern Burma, Chin State, as well India, and Bangladesh. This piece is circa 1950-1960, spun from commercial, hand dyed cotton thread with some single faced supplementary and diamond twill patterns. Please see enlargements to appreciate the complexity of this weave. There are a few pin holes but noting egregious (one small repair w...

Good, first half of the 20th century hardwood hand carved bowl carved in the shape of a turtle. I acquired this from Mossgreen's Auctions, Australia about 20 years ago, they attributed it to being 100 years old. Please note the two legs in the back are damaged and is noted in last enlargement. L: 42cm/16.5in and W: 16cm/6.2in.

Good first half of the 20th century hardwood hand carved image of a pig. I acquired this from Mossgreen's Auctions, Australia about 20 years ago, they attributed it to being 100 years old. L: 20.2cm/8in and H: 8.3cm/3.2in. There is a "check in the wood, that may be noted in last enlargement

Fine and rare Yao (also known as Mien) Taoist shaman “yen” chop, used to send messages to the Gods. Reference “The Yao” by Jess Pourret pgs 206 & 207. This came from the Sino/Lao Fansipan Mountains border area and date circa 80 to 90 years old. 3.6cm/1.4in x 3.6cm/1.4in x 3.6cm/1.4in. 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.

Quirky pair of fishing bobs from the Mentawai Islanders off the coast of West Sumatera. These are probably multifunctional as I have seen them described variously as turtle net buoys, fishing bobs as well as net weavers. The larger one has a fishing hook fashioned from a nail as well as old stone bead. L: 49.5/19.5in and 53cm/20.8in.

Hand carved khik carved from wood with auspicious Khom script, Yantra (sacred diagram) from Lanna Thailand. This one has been sealed at one end with lead to accommodate a “magic pebble”. Contrary to how I see these often advertised they, have little to do with attracting women, but are worn by on the side by men for luck and prosperity or used by women to ward odd “evil men” and attract money. The symbolism goes way back to Hindu mythology where the Shiva lingam represents ...

Hand carved khik carved from wood with auspicious Khom script, from Lanna Thailand. Contrary to how I see these often advertised they, have little to do with attracting women, but are worn by on the side by men for luck and prosperity or used by women to ward odd “evil men” and attract money. The symbolism goes way back to Hindu mythology where the Shiva lingam represents primordial creative energy. L: 9.7cm/3.9in. Free shipping via Hong Kong Registered Airmail.

Hand carved khik carved from wood with auspicious Khom script, and tiny amount of silver and gold leaf inserted in the urethra, from Lanna Thailand. Contrary to how I see these often advertised they, have little to do with attracting women, but are worn on the side by men for luck and prosperity or used by women to ward odd “evil men” and attract money. The symbolism goes way back to Hindu mythology where the Shiva lingam represents primordial creative energy. L: 11cm/4.2in. F...

Hand carved khik carved from wood with auspicious Khom script, from Lanna Thailand. Contrary to how I see these often advertised they, have little to do with attracting women, but are worn by on the side by men for luck and prosperity or used by women to ward odd “evil men” and attract money. The symbolism goes way back to Hindu mythology where the Shiva lingam represents primordial creative energy. L: 7.5cm/2.9in. Free shipping via Hong Kong Registered Airmail.

Hand carved khik carved from wood,k from Lanna Thailand. Contrary to how I see these often advertised they, have little to do with attracting women, but are worn on the side by men for luck and prosperity or used by women to ward odd “evil men” and attract money. The symbolism goes way back to Hindu mythology where the Shiva lingam represents primordial creative energy. L: 7.8cm/3.2in. Free shipping via Hong Kong Registered Airmail.

Hand carved khik carved from wood, from Lanna Thailand. This has a small piece of copper foil inserted into the urethra. Contrary to how I see these often advertised they, have little to do with attracting women, but are worn by on the side by men for luck and prosperity or used by women to ward odd “evil men” and attract money. The symbolism goes way back to Hindu mythology where the Shiva lingam represents primordial creative energy. L: 10cm/4in. Free shipping via Hong Kong ...

Hand carved khik carved from from Lanna Thailand, with lightly incised Khom script dedication. Contrary to how I see these often advertised they, have little to do with attracting women, but are worn on the side by men for luck and prosperity or used by women to ward odd “evil men” and attract money. The symbolism goes way back to Hindu mythology where the Shiva lingam represents primordial creative energy. L: 12cm/4.8in. Free shipping via Hong Kong Registered Airmail.

Pair of hand carved khiks carved from buffalo horn, from Lanna Thailand, both have rattles at the end. Contrary to how I see these often advertised they, have little to do with attracting women, but are worn by on the side by men for luck and prosperity or used by women to ward odd “evil men” and attract money. The symbolism goes way back to Hindu mythology where the Shiva lingam represents primordial creative energy. L: 6cm/2.8in. Free shipping via Hong Kong Registered Airmail...