Showing 145–156 of 188 results
This late Song brick tile portrays a feasting couple with a figure points to a stylized image of a bat flying (for good luck) in the sky.
Song brick tiles like this decorated government, public and religious buildings, often depicting mythical animals, auspicious objects and holiday celebrations. This tile shows a traditional lion dance performed at Chinese New Year to attract prosperity and good luck for the coming year.The lion is flanked by 2 frightened children and a person in anjali mudra, symbolizing composure that could counter balance the children’s fear.
Chinese funerary tiles, as forms of mingqi adorned tomb as early as the Han dynasty depicting everyday scenes, entertainment, mythical beasts, folklore, history, literature and poetry. A Han stone tomb relief rubbing in Stories from China’s Past (p. 173) labeled “Ascending to Heaven in Deer Chariot” is reflective of this Song brick-tile. During the Song…
This Song earthenware tile depicts the legendary scholar, poet and alchemist Taoist deity Lu Dongbin, one of the Eight Immortals, who sought to discover the elixir of immortality and used charms still used in Chinese homes to prevent illness and ward off evil. He and his fly whisk are auspicious symbols of longevity and a wish for immortality. Firecrackers, are traditionally used to celebrate the Chinese New Year, to bring in wishes for a safe and prosperous year, scare away evil and provide pleasure for the ancestors’ spirit.
Xiwangmu is the most important and first female deity in the Taoist pantheon, identified by a single phoenix in her headdress. This unique antique carving is a puppet head or an attachment to a larger figure where her headdress has three phoenixes instead of her iconic single phoenix. Beautifully carved with a rich patina, it is mounted on a lucite stand.
This rare, vintage spirit mask is from Timor in Indonesia. Their animism is characterized by ritual exchanges between individuals or social groups with ancestral and fertility spirits having a close reciprocal link between the deceased and the secular world as ancestors require sustenance, respect and attention (i.e. offerings), while humans seek advice, good fortune, health…
This delightful doll mounted on a frosted acrylic stand is dressed as a bearded official wearing a traditional ‘spread-wing” official’s hat. Originally mounted on a wood stick seen under his attire, he wears a dark blue and gold robe with a loose black, red and silver official’s belt and boots. Although dressed as a Chinese official, he is clearly an entertainer. He holds a set of paper clappers (Kuaiban)– meaning “fast boards,” a two-millennia old Chinese castanets-like instrument made of bamboo or wood slats tied together which entertainers rattle, shake, or clap together to produce a complementary sound or beat. This piece is in excellent condition with expected signs of wear and use in the clothing and minor paint losses.
This rare vintage carving was probably made for a home shrine or small rice field temple dedicated to Dewi Sri, the Balinese Goddess of Rice. The hole near the bottom indicates it may have been part of a larger decorative scheme.
This Dalem is a traditional folk-art and ethnic mask (topeng) from Bali made from pulai wood of a Hindu king (Dalem). He stares directly at the viewer while his high cheeks help express his poise and the ability to remain cool in a crisis. This is a fine example of a gifted carver able to…
Deeply carved rows of black hair atop the horse’s head form a carved pattern framed by the upward-pointed ears that emphasize the horse’s alertness. Wonderfully modeled with flowing forms, this carving demonstrates the gifts of Tibetan woodcarvers. One can only imagine how important horses are to Tibetans living on “the roof of the world.” Without…
This charming Balinese mask is a traditional female Dayu, an ethnic Balinese high-caste Hindu Brahman Woman. This beautiful carving is too large to be a traditional dance mask , it is a beautiful decorative piece. Presented as a charming and beautiful woman from the top Hindu caste, she has delicate, detailed and sensitive features, that are superbly and subtlety carved. It is presented on a museum quality metal stand.
The culture, rituals, tribal and ethnic art of the Dayak (Dyak) of Kalimantan (Borneo), Indonesia is a mix of shamanism, animism and ancestor worship. Dyak festival masks worn on the face or large ones attached to a costume repel malicious spirits from entering communal spaces, insure village safety, protect babies in their carriers and defend…
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