Decorative accessories embellish interior spaces and often have functional purpose. In earlier times functional objects were handmade with pride and made to not only last generations but to reflect the talents of those who created them. We have always been fascinated with small and utilitarian items crafted so masterfully that their presence adds a unique, personalized and warm presence to surroundings where they are displayed.
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Finely crafted antique boxes like this were often used to store jewelry and valuables in the top and money in the side drawer with a teardrop metal pull. Told it was a lucky money box, it was likely a gift to wish newlyweds a harmonious, successful and happy life. Auspicious carved images are symbols for…
This hand-crafted antique wood and metal coconut grater (boti) from South India is an example of the fine artistic Indian carving tradition transforming functional objects into fine decorative piece. Coconut cutters were commonly used in Asia to make use of all parts in cooking as well as for large fruits and vegetables. Some cutters were…
The well-crafted lacquer covered jewelry box is a fine Chinese vernacular furniture and accessories example from the late Qing Dynasty in the th – 19th century for China’s emerging merchant class who rejected strict formal Ming design. This newly emerged style was made from softer woods such as elm, often brightly colored in red lacquer…
This elaborate 19th century elmwood vanity cabinet is an example of Chinese vernacular furniture catering to the newly prosperous Chinese merchant class whose colorful tastes countered those of conservative scholars and the literati imperial class. Covered with red lacquer, the color of blessings (fu), it has deeply carved and painted decorations highlighted with gold with…
The pair of antique oil lamps was clearly meant to bring good luck and happiness to its owners. Painted with gold and red, both colors fu, good fortune, they are decorated on top with a double lozenge, a diamond shaped symbol often depicted as two interlocked diamonds that represent the form of an ancient musical instrument….
Puppet theatre has traditionally assumed a major role in Chinese religious rituals and honoring major life and historical events. Local productions with beautifully carved puppets, music, drama and costumes instilled societal and cultural values as well as providing entertainment to audiences of all ages and educating provincial ones. This head has a typical tapering shaft…
This antique hard wood mold was hung it in a kitchen, the center of activity of the Chinese home. Virtually all homes had a confection-mold to prepare sweetmeats made by placing pastry dough with various fillings in the mold and turning it over on a sheet to be baked. Many were used to make mooncakes…
We cannot precisely identify this pair but the seller said the costume details were of opera figures which were extremely popular during the Qing dynasty until it ended. Beautifully carved from a very dense hardwood, the figure and wife sit on a 3 level pedestals with long back supports. Clearly an official with a deeply…
The enamel painted designs on the front of this Yixing teapot have recognizable symbols relating to a wish for long and healthy life. This scene from the Peking opera Romance of Three Kingdoms romanticizes historical Han dynasty Three Kingdoms period events and includes symbolic images of the two bowing men on the left holding brooms…
This rug was made in China for Vajrayana/Tibetan Buddhists who were taught this form of Buddhism by Tibetan monks invited there to teach Tibetan Buddhism. Rugs like this were made both for domestic Chinese use and for export to Tibet. Made from wool and natural dyes, this fringed small square has a cotton foundation and…
This lovely carving is likely the Queen Mother of the West (Xiwangmu) and may be a puppet head or an attachment to a larger figure. Xiwangmu is the most important female deity in the Taoist pantheon generally identified by a single phoenix in her headdress. The unique headdress here has three phoenixes instead of her…
Nagaland conch shell ear covers are worn by men and attached to their pierced ears through a hole in the shell using thin natural fiber strings with glass, wood or bamboo bead stoppers. They are usually decorated with one of two stippled (engraved, marked with black dots) images: an abstraction of curved buffalo horns with…
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