A rare antique Japanese Kasane (stacking chest on chest) Tansu made of Keyaki (Zelkova) and Sugi (Cryptomeria) woods. Original Urushi lacquer finish and hand made iron hardware. Double side by side upper drawer design sometimes considered the matriarch pattern among Sendai Tansu collectors. Beautifully poised Shishi or Botan (Peony) motif on all of the lock plates with unusual scalloped cast framing surrounding each image. Warabite handles with incised Chrysanthemums along the bottoms of each...

Rare lacquer box with nashiji background. Gold lacquer decoration in relief of pavilions in a lake landscape. Kirikane gold and silver, pine needles in yellow metal inlaid in high relief blackened by oxidation and dirt. Early Edo period, late 17°or earlier. Inside there is a tray. 18 x 10 x 8cm. A broken and badly glued interior edge (visible on photo). Sold as is, never restored nor cleaned. No lack. Very good condition considering the venerable age.

Pair of silver vase cloisonné of enamels. Gold lacquer cartouches inlaid with mother-of-pearl shibayama, buffalo horn, stained bone. Signature of the artist in a gold cartouche. Japanese work from the end of the 19th century. Good condition. No restoration, some missing inlays (see pictures) the silver parts are in good condition, not dented or scratched. The enamelled parts are complete. It will be given the precise detail of all the missing inlays. Never cleaned, original patina. Height...

Antique Japanese lacquer suzuribako decorated with a pair of deer in raden (shell inlay) and lead on a black lacquer ground. The box opens to reveal a writing set including a lacquered copper rectangular water dropper, an ink stone with brush rests on either side against a background of black lacquer with Rinpa style gold maki-e designs of curling plant fronds.

Age: Meiji Period (1868-1912)

Dimensions: 10 1/2" long x 9 1/2" wide x 3 1/4" high

Extremely rare Sage jubako in wood covered with basketry applied with flowers and plants in lacquer, gesso, mother-of-pearl and pewter (or lead). The box is composed of several stacked parts. The interior is lacquered in red. In the top compartment there are two Chinese characters which are perhaps an artist's signature. Underneath one can see the weft of a strong lacquered fabric ensuring a good solidity. The basketry is not glued to the wood but covers it, making it fragile and it is surprisin...

Chinese framed calligraphy by the famous 20th century artist, 张爰 Zhang Yuan. This is the original name of the painter also know as Chang Dai-chien or Zhang Da-qian. Chang Dai-chien or Zhang Daqian (1899 – 1983) was one of the best-known and most prodigious Chinese artists of the twentieth century. Originally known as a traditionalist painter, by the 1960s he was also renowned as a modern impressionist and expressionist painter. When he was young, Zhang Yuan was captured by bandits an...

Antique Chinese porcelain brush washer in the form of an opening lotus blossom. On one side is a pair of bats and on the other lingzhi mushrooms. Delicately carved and glazed white with brown, orange and gold over painting. Very subtle purple and green high lights on the tips of the lotus petals. Sits on a hardwood stand intricately carved with more bats and lingzhi. Daoguang Period (1821-1850)

Dimensions: Total size: 4 1/4" high x 4 1/4" wide x 3 3/4" wide. Size of brush washer ...

Antique Japanese wooden temple carving of a dragon in swirling clouds. Beautifully carved of heavy keyaki (zelkova elm) wood with intricate details. The large dragon clasps the sacred wish-granting pearl in one claw. Around him are billowing rivulets of clouds. Some of the details of his face are painted with red mineral pigment and his eyes are made of reverse painted glass. Dragons have long been used in Buddhist art symbolizing the endless cycle of transformation.

Age: Edo Perio...

Antique Japanese hikeshi banten, fireman's coat. Made of layers of cotton fabric and stitched in the sashiko quilting technique. Fires were common in Japanese urban areas due to the dense population as well as construction material (primarily wood and paper). Fire brigades were made up of samurai class (buke hikeshi) as well as common class (machi hikeshi). Their primary goal in containing a fire was to tear down the surrounding buildings so the fire had no more fuel. These special coats were w...

A Chinese antique stand made of a root burl hardwood. The dramatic twists and turns of this gnarled wood adds visual movement and depth to any treasure to be showcased on its platform.

Age: Early Republic Period

Dimensions: 31 1/2" Wide by 39" High by 27" Deep

Satsuma fine earthenware vase, Kinkozan kilns. Decor of absolute rarity. Two panels with a cracked cream-white background are decorated on one side with a palace scene representing the Empress and her dancer and musical courtesans and on the other side the Mikado fighter. Indeed, above the central figure floats a flag bearing the imperial emblem of Japan, the 32 petalled chrysanthemum. The bottom of the vase is atypical, it is decorated with a multitude of flowers in high silver relief, generall...

Incense burner carved in turquoise, relief decoration of stylized dragons. The handles are in the shape of the heads of Buddhist lions. The cover is surmounted by a socket which is fixed by a screw cut in the stone. This censer is very elegant and of beautiful proportions, the sculptures are well executed. The stone has many defects (which are natural mineral inclusions) which did not put off the sculptor, it even seems that this stained effect was aesthetically sought. This kind of very stained...

Tokkuri (alccol bottle) made of hard porcelain. Mikawachi kilns. Japan early 19th century. The bottle has an unusually elegant, typically Japanese shape, it was created for the Japanese market and not for export. The porcelain, immaculately white, has a very fine grain similar to that of marble, which is typical of Hirado clay. A lake landscape decor subtly drowned in mist is painted in a luminous cobalt blue. The quality is superb, the technique is flawless and the drawing is artistically trace...

You rarely see 19th Century Korean tiger paintings offered for sale anymore, especially in excellent condition like this one. The last time we had one was 15 years ago, and it will probably be at least that long until have another one to offer. When they do come up in auctions now, they sell for five figures. That's because there is nothing anywhere like Joseon Era Korean tiger folk paintings. Tigers in Korean paintings are not ferocious. They are humorous and full of personality. And each one i...

Antique Japanese 2-panel screen painting of a flowers. Painted in the Rinpa School technique in mineral colors and gofun on gold leafed paper. An exuberant display of sunflower, peony, sweet pea, and morning glory blossoms.

Age: Taisho Period (1912-9126)

Dimensions: 48" high x 49 1/2" wide

Very Large Antique Wooden Joseon Dynasty Korean Wedding Goose inscribed with the year 1892. A similar but slightly smaller one recently sold at auction in Korea for $22,520 plus commission, for a total of $25,000! A photo of that auction result is the last photo here in this post. This is a grand piece of Korean folk art. This wooden goose was a gift from a Korean groom to a bride nearly 200 years ago, and is the largest and most beautifully rendered example we have ever seen. Because geese mate...

Height: 38 cm (15.2 in)
Width: 22 cm (8.9 in)

Fine Chinese pair of porcelain blue monochrome vases; dark blue glaze thinning to white at the rim and neatly finishing just above the base; the glaze at the base has a hint of blue with some pitting; minor scuff marks only; email for more pictures

A Rare Large Khmer Gray Stone Head Of Harihara, Pre Angkor 7th century The Splendid head of the iconic divinity, half Shiva and half Vishnu, Finely carved with incised almond-shaped eyes, broad nose and broad lips, thin mustache and elongated earlobes. His third eye and elaborated hair dress on the right side belong to Shiva while the left side of the head with hair arranged in a tall mitre. The piece is a splendid example of the powerful style of the art in the pre-Angkor period. Estimate Value...