Showing 145–156 of 197 results
A potlatch means “to give away” or “a gift” and is a traditional feast central to many cultures of indigenous peoples of the Canadian Pacific Northwest Coast including the Haida tribe who have existed for over 17,000 years and currently inhabit Northern British Columbia, Pacific Northwest United States, and Southeast Alaska. Its main purpose is…
This traditional African hammered iron gong is elegantly shaped like a flaring bell. Heat riveted, a forging process joining two metal pieces together, it was made by Congolese tribal people. Made with 5 parallel lines of 5 decorative round bulges on both sides, it was often held using a raffia handle and beaten using sticks covered with rubber at its end. Originally a ritual instrument, they were also beaten to call members of special restricted societies to meetings and were a symbol of wealth, prestige, and influence.
This vibrant carpet can be used as aid for meditation to sit on or hung on a wall.
This exceptional naga was one of two that comprised a gong stand. Gongs were used in Burma for both ceremonial and musical purposes in religious, state, or secular settings. A protection figure, this naga is a superb carving elaborately decorated with gold lacquer and pigmentation. He opens his mouth wide bearing mother-of-pearl teeth and a curled blood red mouth and tongue to drive away malevolent spirits, also reinforced by the large glaring eyes circled in red. On first glance it is menacing, but its history as a protector of Buddha Shakyamuni make it prized as a fanciful, gleeful guardian. His scales are arched relief designs of mixed lacquer and ash and they are highlighted with inset cut mirrors and green sequin-like glass “jewels.” It is mounted on a museum quality stand and is in excellent condition for its age and use despite missing an ear.
H: 11” W: 9.5” D: 2” | SOLD
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 ancient bronze ge dagger-axe is a true glimpse of the changes in military history and would be a great addition to a collection of weapons throughout the ages. Widely produced and used in the Han it virtually disappeared after introduction of chariots and tightly military formations.
Ancient spearpoints with this triangular blade called triangular lanceolate projectile spear point were found under multiple feet of sediment about 40 miles from Austin, Texas are revising ancient American history as they are believed to be the oldest weapons ever found in North America. Considerably older than those made by the Paleoamerican Clovis culture, formerly…
The Song dynasty (960–1279) is considered the most culturally brilliant era in later imperial Chinese history. A massive expansion during this dynasty produced government, public and religious buildings and tombs with walls decorated with earthenware unglazed mold-made brick tiles. Some were purely decorative and others were wishes for happiness and comfort in the deceased’s afterlife…
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.
Terracotta tile portraying a seated female musician playing a lute with 2 attendants, and a third person in the distance. The scene is framed in an attractive and decorative curved wide border with a pointed arch called an ogee arch originating in India.
Most jauk keras (strong, scary) masks of a giant are often red or orange to reinforce a volatile dance with jerky movements. This jauk manis (good, sweet) mask dance is a more controlled, regulated and enacted with more calm and human movements.
Influenced by Islam for centuries, Javanese theater in Indonesia is stylized, didactic and full of central characters said to be cultural and historic icons of morality. Mask drama theater (Topeng Wayang) in Java is dominated by the conservative central Javanese palace courts (kraton) of Surakarta, Solo and Jogjakarta (Yogyakarta) which have long supported mask makers,…
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