Catalog (496)

Rare jacket back panel from the remote Miao Jiupang group from Jiahe County, Guizhou province (see last enlargement), with purple embroidered pattern between the spaces in the tin decoration. This style of decoration is unique to this group and very difficult to make, as every tiny bit of tin has to be individually cut and crimped. Recently acquired from a private Hong Kong collector, these are the first examples I have send of these I have seen in the past 15 years. There ...

Two strands of colorful and quirky glass bangle fragments drilled and reworked into beads. These are Persia, circa 6th CE - 7th CE which would make them late Sassanian Empire or early Islamic Era. L: 54cm/21.2in and 59cm/23.2in. See last enlargement for scale. Please note the tiny beads at the end are a combination of ancient Indo Pacific and Pyu glass beads. Free shipping via Hong Kong Registered Airmail.

Huge Pyu silver coin from Sri Ksetra, circa 6th/7th CE. There is some pitting on “bhadrapitha” side. Will clean up! D: 3.4cm/1.3in, approximately 11 grams. Free shipping via Hong Kong Registered Airmail.

Early 19th century lacquer box from the Gadu-Gadan region with domed top and bottom (philone gaunglone). There are 16 separate panels decorated with mythical beasts, dancers and quirky symbols on the side and bird pattern on the top and bottom. Please note last photo for reference which is dated 1850 (possibly earlier) from Lacquerware Journeys—Than Htun. The piece I have is actually far more intricate. It is extremely rare to see a piece of Burmese lacquer of this age outside of...

Very rare late 19th century small lacquer box with a bird in concentric circles on both concave top and bottoms unusual simple geometric designs on the side. For a box of this age, it is in very good condition some loss to lacquer on the edges and bottom of lid. For the specialist collector of Burmese lacquer ware. D: 10.1cm/4in and H: 7.1cm/2.8in.

Strand of “drum” shaped white glass beads from the Nyishi ethnic group of Aranchal Pradesh, north east India, strung on hand made hemp cord. These are old beads and will date them conservatively pre 1950, please note the two round shaped beads are Chinese “Peking” glass beads 19th century. A few have chips but 90% are in excellent condition. Total length 68cm/27in, please note these are all the same size, individually: D: 8mm- L: 6mm ea

Fine old rattan/bamboo splitting knife used in basket making. This has a great natural patina on the handle with decorated “butt”, circa first half 20th century. The blade still carries a sharp edge and is still quite serviceable. L: 44cm/17.2in (blade is 11cm/4.2cm). Excellent condition.

Finely detailed woman’s full length three paneled tube sarong from Ende, Flores Island, Indonesia. I bought this in 1988, this was used when I bought in Ende and has remained in storage since then. All natural dyes and handspun, hand woven cotton. Pristine condition with soft and comfortable weave. W: 150cm/59in and L: 1400cm/55in.

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...

Unsigned acrylic/oil portrait of a woman worker acquired from a Hong Kong auction. I am assuming this was painted while China and Russia were still friends so would date this pre 1960. Good example of Socialist Realism (girl meets tractor) kitsch, W: 35cm/13.8in and H: 45.cm/17.8in.

Lovely Chinese basket most likely woven by the Zhuang or another of the many ethnic minorities in Guangxi Zhuang, China where I bought this over 20 years ago. This woven from split reed stalks and has a nice soft feel to it. This piece is quite old, 50 to 100 years (best guess). It has an unusual trapezoidal/oval shape and I like it for its sturdy simplicity. Minor unraveling of some of the weaves here and there but in very good condition given it age. H: 14cm/5.5in and L: 24cm/.5in...

Nice strand of antique Indo Pacific glass beads from Thailand. L: 69cm/27in- see last enlargement for scale. Free shipping via Hong Kong Registered Airmail.

Old embroidered jacket panel from the Miao/Dong ethnic group Southwest China, with abstract floral pattern. Avery lovely piece- the pattern seems to shimmer as if floating on a pond of water. See image for condition and size. Free Shipping

Old embroidered jacket panel from the Miao/Dong ethnic group Southwest China, with abstract phoenix and floral pattern. See image for condition and size, floral scroll. Free Shipping

Old embroidered jacket panel from the Miao/Dong ethnic group Southwest China. See image for condition and size, floral scroll. Free Shipping

Old embroidered jacket panel from the Miao/Dong ethnic group Southwest China. See image for condition and size, with abstract phoenix and floral scroll. Free Shipping

Old embroidered jacket panel from the Miao/Dong ethnic group Southwest China. See image for condition and size. Free Shipping

Nice old red and black lacquered Cambodian “siri” box, with lovely incised scrolling fern pattern This piece predates the Khmer Rouge regime and circa 60 or 70 years old. In good condition, there is no significant damage other expected signs of use and wear and the lid is a bit warped. In recent years Khmer lacquerware is making a comeback, however most of this is used for “home décor” export items, as far as I know no one is currently resurrected items for common household ...

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.

Semi antique, large woman’s sarong from the Stieng/Xtiêng ethic group Vietnam. Over 60 years old, this is woven from all handspun cotton threads. There is a patch, 7cm x 2cm fray on one edge and small 1cm hole. L: 203cm/79on39.8in and W: 94cm/37in.

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.

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.

Ensemble of 3 old Chinese furniture maker’s planes. See text in last three enlargements for details,

Rare woman’s skirt (pukhang) from the Kachin/Jingpo ethnic group, Northeast Burma. This is two panels with supplementary weft trim on the ends made of dog hair. Mostly natural dye and indigo. It is quite a durable weave with denim like feel. There is some staining, one small hole as well as a bit of dye bleeding. I could only find examples this in “Textiles of the Hill Tribes of Burma”: Michael C. Howard (plate 107) and the Metropolitan Museum of Art: Accession Number: 2002.312...

Antique women’s shoulder cloth (hti paun) from the Mro or Khami subgroup of the Chin ethnic group. A very old piece circa 1920 to 1940. There are two small repaired holes, minor fraying edge along the selvedge and loss to fringe. L: 174cm/64.5in and W: 92cm/32in.

Large vintage “bush knife” from Lanna Thailand, this is an all purpose tool with a thick spine and very sharp edge- quite heavy as well. The blade is fixed with a steel collar and woven rattan and comes with a bamboo basket type sheath. Total L: 54cm/22.2in (blade L: 29cm/11.5in and handle L: 25cm/10.5in). This is an artisanal village made piece and not mass produced.

Song Dynasty Jun ware brush shaper or brushwasher. This was originally the base of flower vase which was later reworked into a scholar’s object. The brown clay indicates this was fired in Henan and in my opinion is representative of the kind that was acquired for the Imperial Qing collection rather then the more typical bowls and saucers. The top surface has more discoloration and minor scratches which indicates, that the repurposing was done some time ago. The book “Chun Ware�...

Beautiful black ovoid jar with some small russet speckles and streaks. This piece is in perfect condition with a near black glaze, from a Northern Kiln (most like Shanxi 山西 or Henan 河南), and dating to the Northern Song/Jin Dynasties. D: 14cm/5.5in and H: 10.5cm/4.1in.

Fine Cizhou image of boy carrying a lotus, this symbolizes the continued succession of sons. This piece is in pristine original condtion. High fired stoneware with very stable heavy glaze. H: 17.5cm/6.9in and W: 9cm/3.5in. Guaranteed to be at least Qing Dynasty but possibly Ming.

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.

Special Offer- Reduced from $1400 to $800. Stunning Northern Song black glazed jar with russet streaks in perfect original condition, from a Henan kiln. D: 10.3cm/4in and W: 6.8cm/2.7in. Stunning Northern Song black glazed jar with russet streaks in perfect original condition, from a Henan kiln. D: 10.3cm/4in and W: 6.8cm/2.7in.

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

Rare semi antique supplementary warp silk embroidery on handspun indigo cotton, blanket from the diverse Tai ethnic group Vietnam/Laos. I collected this in Chiang Mai around 15 years ago and would date it around 50 to 90 years old. Nowadays you just can’t find this sort of textile anymore. Some minor embroidery losses but overall in very good condition. Dimensions: 80cm/31.5in x 137cm/53in.

Good woman’s skirt panel or apron from a Yunnan ethnic minority, approximately 50 to 70 years old. All the elements in this piece are hand made, even the ribbon along the border which is often machine made (even in old pieces). The beads along the edge are made of seeds. This piece has some old repairs which I have noted in enlargements. The overall embroidered pattern is a combination of white cotton while the greens and reds are either silk or a cotton and silk blend. This was origin...

Billon jital coin from the last Shah of Kwarezm Kingdom 12o0CE -1220CE. Muhammad II of Khwarezm, having arrested/executed emissaries on two occasions from the Mongols, he brought the full force of Genghis Khan’s wrath on his realm and every city was razed to the ground“arguably the bloodiest massacre the world saw until the 20th century”. There is one split. Free shipping via Hong Registered Airmail. D: 14mm

Copper jital coin from the last Shah of Kwarezm Kingdom 12o0CE -1220CE. Muhammad II of Khwarezm, having arrested/executed emissaries on two occasions from the Mongols, he brought the full force of Genghis Khan’s wrath on his realm and every city was razed to the ground“arguably the bloodiest massacre the world saw until the 20th century”. Free shipping via Hong Registered Airmail. D: 19.8mm