Catalog (100)

Women’s jacket from the Dong minority in Longsheng Terraces, Guangxi Zhuang, China. The black outer cloth is commercial denim, the lining is handmade indigo cotton with a beautiful purple hand embroidered panels on the back and upper sleeves. Some damage (please examine enlargements) but repairable or very wearable as is. Chest width 50cm/19.5in, total end to end arm length 153cm/61in and shoulder to bottom height 72cm/28.3in. Held to together by a hand woven ribbon it is a bit �...

Phallic charm from Lamphun Northern Thailand- serendipitously enough, where they have an annual sausage festival. Originally these were worn by men at the waist and were thought to protect the wearer from any harm to his penis and in a more general sense they also are believed to bring luck especially in terms of “wealth generating or protection”, so a woman might be kept in your cash box to increase your cash flow or a woman might keep one in her purse to prevent it being “snatc...

Group of three vintage household woven cane baskets acquired in Kandy, Sri Lanka in the 1990s. These were old at the time of acquisition so I would date them to around 50 years of age. Very sturdy and good condition. Dimensions: 1# 19in/48cm x 15/40cm, 2# 15in/38cm x 8in/20cm, 11in/28cm x 5.5in/14cm. Two have wood bases and tops while the the midsize one is covered in skin (I am guessing goat).

Colorful Stieng woman’s wrap around skirt from the Xtiêng (Stieng), estimated population of 7000, minority Binh Duong Province and Dong Nai Province of southeastern Vietnam. Hand woven with handspun cotton field and patterns of combination synthetic and cotton commercial yarns, this piece dates to circa 1970 to 1980 (i.e. post Vietnam War era). The Keith Harring (ish) anthropomorphic images are quite unusual. Provenance- Rob C. Clark Ethnobotanist PhD. Excellent condition, no dama...

Formal Indian Sari (just like the ones you see in Bollywood movies), worn for weddings or important religious occasions. This has never been worn. I acquired it from an estate where it has been sitting in a trunk for the past 20 years, and the inside humdity, which caused the brown dye to bleed into the embroidered border somewhat. Please examine images. This L: 5m x 1.4m and is handloomed silk. It was woven in Banaras in the two toned Tanchoi style and silver thread “jari” embroidery. In ...

Nice old black and red lacquered cylindrical woven bamboo box from Northern Thailand No holes or broken bits. L: 19.5cm/7.2in and D: 4.5cm/1.8in.

Women’s skirt from the Bahnar (Ba Na) ethnic group from the Central Highlands of Vietnam, woven from fine handspun cotton using all natural dyes. The weaving is very intricate and refined, note the use of narrow warp ikat bands throughout this piece. This is one single panel which would have used to make three other skirts. See last enlargement for a complete example. L: 2.9meter/9.5feet and W: 66cm/26in. I have two complete skirts- please contact if interested.

Rare phallic charm from Lamphun Northern Thailand- serendipitously enough, where they have an annual sausage festival. Originally these were worn by men at the waist and were thought to protect the wearer from any harm to his penis and in a more general sense they also are believed to bring luck especially in terms of “wealth generating or protection”, so a woman might keep one in her cash box to increase your money flow or in her purse to prevent it being “snatched”. These have their or...

Lovely vintage wearable woman’s dress from the Tai Dam ethnic group Vietnam. The “waist band” is all hand woven cotton cloth, while the black central panel is black raw silk, colorful silk embroidered wide bordered hem is particularly nice. Good condition, with a couple of fading streaks at the waist panel, as well as a repair in the last enlargement. Old piece- made in the 60’s or 70’s. W: 136cm/54in and L: 97cm/38in. Free shipping

1# Vintage woman’s peasant dress from Isaan, Eastern Thailand. Good condition and very wearable. Made of all handspun cotton cloth with silk embroidered wide hem border. Width at waist: 151cm/59in and L: 86cm/33.8in. 2# Vintage woman’s peasant dress from Isaan, Eastern Thailand. One faded spot otherwise good condition and very wearable. Made of all handspun cotton cloth with silk embroidered wide hem border. Width at waist band: 128cm/50.5in and L: 84cm/33in.

Hardwood vintage sculpture of an African ancestor image, from the Songye ethnic group, Democratic Republic of the Congo. Old piece, circa 1960s or 1970s a couple of cracks and repairs.. H: 45 cm/17.8in.

Fine vintage, unused (as new) elegant hand loomed men’s longyi, classic checkered pattern (reverse image on the back). I bought this in Mae Sai around 1988, W: 1.74m and L: 1.09m. Has a few minor stains but otherwise condition excellent. Free shipping via Hong Registered Airmail.

Fine and rare old Yao/Mien all hand spun and woven cotton wedding veil with silk thread embroidered geometrical design, circa 50 years old. This piece is from Kim Mien group and was originally collected in Northern Laos. The colors on this piece are subtle and restrained (please note the use of shades of brown and blue in enlargements) and the brown and white tassels. Except for a couple of tiny holes this piece is in excellent condition. W: 47cm/18.5in and L: 75cm/29.5in.

Nice old Cambodian lacquered basket. Very few things survived the reign of the Khmer Rouge which makes old baskets quite rare. Circa 70 years old, there are some old repairs noted in the enlargements. D: 30cm/11.8in and H: 11cm/4.2in.

Beautiful Miao woman’s apron with black calendered cotton cloth, and green commercial border, and fine silk embroidered center panel with hand woven silk embellished apron ties, from Guizhou. The colors in center panel are particularly luscious and I would date this piece 40 to 60 years of age. W: 40cm/15.8in and L: 43cm/17in. Free shipping Hong Kong Registered Airmail

Basket from Northern Burma probaby from the Rawang or other Kachin related group. . Approximately 50 or 60 years old. Increasingly difficult to source, this is a fine example of Burmese tribal basketry. Condition: good natural polished feel to the surface, a couple of “breaks” on upper rim of basket. The hole in the handle lid seems to intentional, as it has the same wear as the rest of the piece. Dimensions: 20cm/8in height 15.5cm/6.2in diameter.

Woman’s breast cloth from the Chin or Rakhine States, Myanmar- from the Khumi, Khami or Mro- Chin subgroup. Good condition- there is one tiny pin hole and a couple of stains. Circa 1950. L: 70cm/27.5in and W: 34cm/13.2in.

Exquisitely, embroidery panel from the Yao, sometimes referred as the Mien, ethnic group from northwest Laos near the Vietnamese border. This piece is the back panel from of a woman’s jacket with silk embroidered thread on hand woven indigo dyed cloth and is in excellent condition (one tiny pin hole and later embroidery noted in enlargements), circa 75 years old. L: 58cm/22.8in and W: 50cm/19.8in. Free shipping Hong Registered Airmail.

Wonderfully carved wooden Lanna Tiger, the hole in the mouth means this could be worn as amulet or placed on an altar. On the bottom is a lightly incised spiral glyph underneath the base indicate this was meant to be protect the owner. Bear in mind that amulets are very popular in Thailand and most are mass produced in either as terra cotta tablet or cast in metal- this is a one of a kind piece. H: 7.5cm/3in and W: 4.8cm/1.9in.

Fine strand of prewar WWII, glass Venetian trade beads from Africa, L: 58cm/23in. These are strung on a contemporary cotton green string with copper wire fastener. Included on this strand is large “faux” amber center bead attached on a secondary strand of African sand cast beads. The Venetians have ostrich shell spacer disc beads. Free shipping!

Collection of four hardwood “tun tun” pig trap markers made by the Iban people of Sarawak, East Malaysia, circa last half of 20th century. All in good condition. The longest one is L: 59cm/23.2in

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. Lengths: 53c...

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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...

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 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.

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...

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

A collection of 10 kihks from Lanna, Thailand. All are hand carved from wood (except two which are carved from buffalo horn- noted in enlargements) and incised 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. It’s not uncommon that they be put in cash register. The symbolism ...

Unusual Jackwood paan (betel) tray with well carved Kandy style floral medallion in the center, this motif also emulates carvings on pillars in some ancient temple. The WHO advised the Sri Lankan government against the chewing of betel and it is now illegal- that is not to say that this really stops people from still doing it though. This an antique piece with one crack. W: 29.5cm/11.5in x W: 29.5cm/11.5in x H: 6cm/2.2in

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.

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.