A well-carved ivory snuff bottle depicting two of the sixteen Buddhist Arhat. The bottle is undoubtedly carved in Japan as the neck is made from a separate piece of ivory and screws into the body of the bottle. The carving style suits the subject matter and the bottle has a pleasing patina from handling. There is an unidentified studio marking on the base.

Approximately 5.7 cm high. Perfect condition.

Please study the photographs.

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From our Japanese Collection, a good kutani baluster-shaped jar and cover, Meiji Period (1868-1912), executed in traditional kutani palette of iron-red, green, yellow, and gilt highlights, depicting a continuous scene of figures gathered around the circumference of the piece. A small but charming example of genuine 19th century kutani.

Size and condition: 7 1/4 inches tall, 5 inches at the shoulder. Some very minor rubbing to the gilt commensurate with age, and an incidental hair line on ...

From our Japanese Collection, a good Fuyode Ko-Imari Arita blue and white porcelain dish, the term "Fuyode" referring to late 17th century Japanese porcelain painted in the style of Chinese Ming Dynasty porcelain. This is one of the earliest examples of Japanese Arita ware. This dish is painted in underglaze blue with a central panel of flowering peony, and with panels of the “Three Friends of Winter" design (pine, bamboo, and prunus) in the border. The reverse is sparsely painted with karaku...

An elegant and fine ink-stone (Shezhou, Anhui) made of carved, dark schist with minor, green-brown inclusions. One “eye.” Two small feet at top end. Fitted and finely carved lid of chicken wing wood (jichimu). The inscription reads: “A treasure from the Zhishi shanfang.” In a Japanese box from the 19th century (with full inscription). China: Qing, probably 18th cent. L 16,5 cm, W 11 cm. Condition: Excellent (small chip in ink-well).

From our Southeast Asia Collection, a lovely handmade silk on cotton vintage table runner from Laos, using tan colored silk woven into geometric designs with magenta and blue/green colored accents. The runner is shown only half size as we have folded it to fit within the confines of our display boards, but it is actually quite long and very well-suited for long dinner tables or sideboards. It can also be displayed either framed or unframed as a wall hanging. Acquired in the late 1980's, we can b...

A good example of Southern Song Dynasty Yaozhou bowl decorated with molded incised chrysanthemum to interior. Repair and slight warped without any missing pieces. Very nice as study example for researches. Diameter: 19,5 cm.

A nice example of blue and white Stem-bowl, decorated with Bajixian, condition is broken like indicated on the pictures and minor missing to the foot rim. Possibly Ming Dynasty 15th century. Height: 11,3 cm and Diameter: 16,5 cm.

Example of Yuan Dynasty double gourd ewer with thinly potted and decorated with iron brown spots or Tobi seiji and Lizard form handle. Condition with missing one leg and cracks and reglued to the handle, minor chips to rim. Height: 10 cm.

A good Chinese boxwood carving of Budai. Three children clamor over him. A bat appears on his right hand. Bone and horn inlays detail his eyes and teeth. Rich, mellow old patina. Nice grain figure in places. Late Qing to early Republic. Ca 1900. Very good condition with typical minor distress checks in the old hardwood surface. Remnants of old label. Height, about 4 5/8 inches high.

From our Shipwreck Porcelain Collection, a fine and large blue and white Ca Mau Shipwreck dish ex-Sotheby's, Yongzheng Period 1723-1735, datable more specifically to circa 1725. The scene depicts Europeans (most likely Dutch traders) on what was once mistakenly thought to be Deshima Island in Nagasaki Harbor Japan, but which recent scholarship now concludes is either a scene of Holland in the Netherlands, or Gothenborg in Sweden. We personally agree with the academic viewpoint that the scene dep...

From our Southeast Asia Collection, a good and large vintage Indonesian batik executed in three different shades of blue, along with rust, peach, olive, black, brown, white, and signed by the artist.

Batik is one of many methodologies of fabric decoration employed in Indonesia's long and rich textile tradition. Those unfamiliar with the process will not immediately recognize how the designs are rendered, but it is essentially a wax-resist type of dyeing operation where certain sections o...

A well forged, handsome mokume tsuba in mokko-gata form with katakiri-bori landscape decoration on both the omote and ura. The mokume grain is large and well controlled reminding one of ayasugi hada. In fact, this tsuba is indeed a tosho (swordsmith's) tsuba, being made by [Kai Ju] Kiyonaga and dated the third year of Bunkyo (1863) believed to be the same as KIY 298 referenced in Hawley's, Japanese Swordsmiths. Our angled, side view photographs more accurately portray patina and color as well as...

From our Chinese Blue and White Collection, a good ginger jar with "double shu" design bestowing "double happiness," late 19th century, either Tongzhi (1862-1874) or Guangxu Period (1875-1908).

Jars such as this current example were often given as gifts containing foodstuffs with the lids glued shut. As a result, many lids were broken upon opening and subsequently lost to history, which is why so many are seen without their original lids. It's always nice to find an example with its origin...

A soapstone sculpture of the Chinese bearded sage Lao Tzu with staff and scrolls (one partially unfurled from the dragon form staff-head and one tied to his belt.) Engraved cloud decoration on the robe and on the hood over curly locks on the figure's high forehead. Three rather tame looking qilin rest at the figure's feet, looking to the sage - two with a heavenly cloud wisp issuing from their mouths indicating they are not of this world and emphasizing the suggestion of longevity. All hand carv...

The compressed globular body supported by three conical feet, with a pair of loop handles rising from the rim. PERIOD: Ming Dynasty. MEASURES: Height from feet to handle 10 cm and diameter 2.5 cm. CONDITION: No chips, cracks or hairlines and free from restorations.

Description:

A gilt silver plaque was well decorated with motifs of QiLinSongZi, a most popular Chinese metaphor of the fairy animal Qilin sending child to the vowing family.
By characteristic Chinese scenes of pagoda, plum trees, Qilin and the figure riding through the water waves, the picturesque scene was well carved and chiseled by excellent craftsmanship.
It was a piece most likely a buckle on the cloth belt. There're old drilling holes on four corners for sewing thread.