Showing 13–24 of 49 results
This framed glass folk-art painting of Krishna, the Hindu god of compassion, protection and love, was once inset as a front panel along with the Peacock Panel (3983MCE) in a decorative antique Indian cabinet or chest. In Hinduism when the world is threatened with evil, chaos or destructive forces, Vishnu descends to earth as one…
Balinese masks (tapel in Balinese, topeng in Java), are said to have existed since the 10th century and often are danced in sacred Hindu stories with important moral, ethical, historical and philosophical ideas, This is especially true as many come from ancient Hindu texts like ancient epics the Ramayana, the Mahabharata and the Babad Dalem, the…
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…
Stone reliefs or mold made earthenware brick tiles were made for ancestor worship and to decorate doors and the walls of tombs, temples and other structures from the Han Dynasty onwards. As China expanded its trade along the Silk Roads in the Song dynasty, foreign artistic influences began to be seen in the expanded use…
The Song dynasty (960–1279CE) is considered the most culturally brilliant era in later imperial Chinese history. A massive expansion produced government and public 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 live and deceased people’s afterlife called mingqi. With…
Banquet scenes and feasts have been part of Chinese art and culture for millennia. They include celebrations of important rituals and social events, both public and private. These can be religious or social rituals, funerary practices performed by families filling their obligations of filial piety, family fêtes, scenes of scholarly gatherings, casual feasts for couples and…
This paper stencil is a Japanese katagami, (“pattern paper”) used to decorate Japanese textiles with attractive meaningful designs. Ise katagami is an exacting craft using paper stencils to print designs on textiles on long bolts of silk, cotton or other cloth or on garments, especially kimonos. Layers of traditional handmade mulberry paper are fused using…
An Indian toran or bandhanwar is a beadwork tapestry traditionally placed at home doorways and thresholds and symbolize warmth, positivity, and protection. Their origin lies in ancient Hindu religious texts which are part of the Vedas, the vast genre of Indian literature that includes myths, legends, traditional philosophy, lore and rituals (circa 1500-1000 BC). They…
Balinese carvings and masks are ethnic folk art and a blend of Hinduism and its initial animism. Most masks made in Bali are from pulai wood that rarely cracks and is easier to carve. As it is not native to Lombok, carvers there use a variety of woods some of which were dense with others light….
During the Song Dynasty earthenware unglazed brick tiles made using a mould were produced to decorate inner chamber walls of tombs and government and public buildings. Used as funerary decorations to wish the deceased happiness and comfort in their afterlife, these Song Brick Tiles are another example of a mingqi ancestral item. Without knowledge of…
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…
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. Personally collected in Bali in the 1970s, it is in excellent condition with expected minor scratches and paint losses.
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