Catalog: Antiques (370)

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...

Fine old Burma lacquerware box. This piece is quite rare in that it is a complete set with three compartments on top and one shallow “hidden” compartment in the base. There is an old repair on the cracquelure on the lid as well as some traditional restoration on the undecorated portions. This is an early 20th century piece (possibly 19th century) from the Gadu-Ganan region, Shan State. D: 16.cm/6.2in and W: 16cm/6.2in.

Old hand carved wooden ink pad box circa first half 20th century. I think this is probably a Yao item, but as I purchased it in a Bai ethnic minority market in Yunnan, over 20 years ago, we’ll assume it is Bai. This has a floral pattern carved on the lid. The ink has long ago dried up. Nice natural patina. L: 7.2cm/2.9in x W: 5.8cm/2.3in x H: 3.2cm/1.3in.

Very rare early 20th century textile from the Mulao ethnic group Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Province. Little is known about these textiles other than they show a close affinity with Maonan weavings and are no longer being woven by this people. This is a two paneled blanket with original border and supplementary weft silk and cotton embroidered pattern of birds, mythical animals and flowers on a cotton field “key fret” pattern...

Glass charm emulating white nephrite Jade inscribed with delicate Arabic verses from the Koran on both sides. This set is in silver with a copper loop to hold on a chord. I bought this in Hong Kong so original provenance is unknown- possibly from the Xinjiang, Turkic Uyghur speaking area. Jade was very popular during the Mughal period in India and I would date this piece circa 19th century. Excellent condition- no chips or cracks. L 5.3cm/2.1in and W: 3.4cm/1.3in. Free shipping.

Lovely Qing Dynasty pendant of a monkey on a leaf, “staring at the moon”, carved from carnelian. An unusually fat piece with a rich dark color rarely seen in Chinese carnelian. L: 4.7cm/1.8in and W: 3.5cm/1.4in. There is one small chip on the back of the hole noted in 2nd enlargement. Included is an adjustable macramé cord, and free shipping via Hong Registered Airmail.

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.

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 rare man’s ceremonial tunic from the Chin ethnic group, probably Falam Township, Chin State Myanmar. I would consider this an antique heirloom blanket between 1910-1940 finely woven from hand spun cotton thread and natural dyes. This incorporates the classic Chin diamond twill weft pattern as well as double side embroidery. W: 128cm/50.5in and L; 189cm/74.5in. This only one from this Chin group I have ever managed to collect...

Ensemble of 6 breast panels from the Khami or Mro subgroup of the Chin ethnic group, Arrakan State Burma. Antique 1950s or older. Sizes- L: 66cm26in and W: 34cm/13.4in (more or less). Condition as pictured.

Large textile from Laos with a “void” silhouette deer pattern . The colored threads are silk, while the field and border are all handspun cotton, the border may be some sort of bast fiber as it is quite coarse. This piece is approximately 30 to 40 year old- I picked up it up in 2000, Vientiane, Laos. The border and backing has some staining but the embroidered panel is clean...

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.

Exceptionally rare baby blanket from the Tujia weavers of Longshan County, Hunan Province, China. I have been looking for one of these for years and this is the first complete blanket I have ever found, albeit the lower two border panels come from a different piece. This incorporates the unique white tiger motif (see enlargement #3) which is believed to give the baby protection. For the Tujia the white Tiger is a totemic ancestor deity...

Pristine Jatim Millefiore bead circa 600-900CE, Pre Islamic Javanese Hindu era. Perfect condition. L: 19mm x W: 22mm. Perfect condition. Free shipping.

Pristine Jatim Millefiore bead circa 600-900CE, Pre Islamic Javanese Hindu era. Perfect condition. L: 17mm x W: 18mm. Perfect condition. Free shipping.

Pretty little antique white Burmese jade pendant, adjustable cord and free shipping via Hong Registered Airmail. H: 31.8mm and W: 19.7mm. Carved with bat, coins and lingzhi with splash of apple green at the bottom. Free shipping.

Strand of ancient Afghani glass beads, circa Roman era. These are original beads (not re-carved bangles or glass vessel fragments). Some are decorated with gold leaf, others exhibit dichroism. Traces of calcification. A total of 27 beads (note 3 are broken). Total length: 50cm/19.8cm- note last enlargement for scale- 17 grams. Free shipping.

Two small Ming jarlets. Sort of wabi-sabi, but no major damage. There are some surface glaze firing cracks and fritting on the mouth rim on the larger jar. Larger jar D: 6.7cm/2.7in and H: 5.3cm/2.1in, smaller jar D: 5.8cm/2.3in and H: 5cm/1.9in.