Fine and rare old rattan basket from the Idu Mishmi ethnic group from Arunachal Pradesh, India. In India they are primarily animist but in China where they are known as the Lhoba have strong spiritual affiliations with Tibetan Buddhism, also it should be pointed out that the men are the principle basket weavers, while the women do the textiles. Google “Bamboo and Cane Culture of Arunchal Pradesh” and you will get a good description of this regional craft. As Sino/Arunacha... Click for details
DESCRIPTION: A bulbous silver Tibetan necklace with long linked silver chain, the repousse’ pendant shaped in the form of a lingzhi fungus, a symbol of immortality. On one side are Chinese characters meaning good fortune, and on the other is the longevity god with his crane. With this necklace comes the rarely found original key (see third photo) which unlocks the cross piece so that the chain can be adjusted for wearing length. Dating from the late 19th C., this necklace is very wearable an... Click for details
Made of handbeaten copper, lidded urns in this design are used for household water storage in Kathmandu, Nepal, where many homes do not have running water. Daily trips to community wells are made, usually by women, who carry water home in narrow necked vessels, then pour it into containers like this. Copper vessels of all sorts are made in Patan, the artisan section of the city, where small back streets echo with the sounds of copper and other metals being beaten into bowls, pots, utensils, vats... Click for details
This type of mounted kukri is known as a kothimoda. Generally for presentation to a dignitary or retiring officer, sometimes to mark some heroic event when the recipient’s personal kukri would be richly mounted. From my reading of the subject these kothimoda are quite rare.
A friend has asked me to offer this unusual Tibetan bowl case, made from iron in order to protect the owner's tea or food bowl whilst travelling. The bowl features four quatrefoil lobed pierced lotus panels and the lid has a recessed pierced roundel, also depicting lotus scroll. Other flower scrolls are chased into the iron and decorated with either gold or silver... Click for details
