Showing 145–156 of 220 results
This image from Guandong wears typical Taoist priest or shaman attire – an undergarment crossed at the neck, an overcoat clasped at the waist and a double-winged high hat centered with an image of a taotie. The taotie is a mystical animal sometimes on the hat of Taoist priests or shamans as a guardian or…
This fascinating thick Song pottery brick is a low-fired depiction of a dwarf foreigner with a rotund belly, a large head and nose, an open mouth and abnormal features. The Chinese believed dwarfs could ward off evil spirits and sickness, attract peace and blessings (fu) and were very wise. Images of dwarfs became so popular, some were produced in numbers.
As part of the The Song dynasty cultural expansion, government and public buildings and tombs were built with interior walls decorated with earthenware unglazed mold-made brick tiles. This fanciful vibrant tile with a scalloped frame portrays two people playing a board game called wéiqí which originated in China over 2500 years ago. It is the world’s oldest and most complex board game still played.
This carved hardwood human figure is an honored Dyak ancestor effigy (hampatong) used to protect villages, people, graves, longhouses and paths to rivers and rice fields. Like most Dyak standing figures, this one is carved in comparatively low relief with arms held placed at the heart and chest and/or sometimes covering the covering the genitals and its facial and bodily features have deteriorated a bit, are rather shallow but are recognizable. It comes on a black Lucite base and was purchased in Bali in the mi 1970s. This piece is featured in a VA instagram post.
Katagami are used to decorate Japanese textiles. Six hexagonal shapes with intertwining triple-line forms on top and a single line closing its shape create a dynamic decorative scheme. This beautiful design includes symbolic hexagons, trees and seven-point stars. Well framed with mat board and non-reflective glass.
Beadwork toran tapestries like this are traditionally placed at home doorways and thresholds to symbolize warmth, positivity, and protection and invite good luck and blessings to the home. They are also used in processions, religious festivals, family milestones and for marriage ceremonies and are part of the dowry, This vintage toran has the Tree of Life that connects the earth, ancestors and heavenly deities and symbolizes the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth and spiritual growth, enlightenment, divine wisdom.
Guandi, the God of War and Justice and Protector of China and its citizens was a Chinese model of loyalty, virtue and morality and was depicted in Temples and home shrines throughout China. This antique figurine was probably part of a larger carving. He wears military maille, black gloves with a carved taotie which is a warning against gluttony and is covered in gold as a sign of power. The open back confirms it was consecrated by a Taoist priest. Mounted on a frosted acrylic stand.
This masterfully and elaborately carved image represents the legendary Guan Ti (also Guandi, Guan Yu), the Chinese God of War and Justice wearing a celestial scarf. This most popular Chinese historical military hero is all things to all men, prayed to for protection and prosperity. He is generally portrayed as here wearing a soldier’s uniform…
Chinese belt hooks were worn with the hook end on the wearer’s left and fastened to clothing with a button like bronze piece fixed to the belt’s end. Initially only functional, metalwork belt hooks became a symbol of wealth, high status and power by the Han Dynasty. They were made using a variety of materials…
Tribal jewelry is especially significant in Afghan culture, reflecting the identity, unique style, motifs and symbolism of its many ethnic groups. Jewelry made by the Kuchi tribe, also known as the Pashtun people, has a 3000-year history. ‘Kuchi’ is an Afghan Persian Farsi term meaning ‘those who go on migrations’. It is the generic term…
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…
Luristan nomads made sophisticated and imaginative bronzes prized in the ancient world for their inventive designs and fine craftsmanship. This Iron Age finely cast figurine depicting a long horned goat, a major source of food for survival has a detailed head with long antlers, tall thin legs, large eyes and a slightly curved body and is mounted on a Lucite base.
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