Black Rock Galleries Antiquities

A set of antique Thai wood carving panels with flower. Age: Thailand, Rattanakosin Period, 19th Century Size per panel: Height 61.5 C.M. / Width 30.7 C.M. / Thickness 3.6 C.M. Size ...

Antique Chinese Soap Stone Carving depicting two vases and flowers, good condition

These Japanese Kutani Vases are refined decorative objects realized by a Japanese artist in the 19th century. This beautiful set includes two ...

Figures from this era tend to be simpler and more utilitarian, reflecting the instability and regional diversity of the time. These pottery figures often unglazed or painted with bas...

Antique Chinese Soap Stone Carving depicting a large vase and flowers, good condition

Antique Thai wood carving. Age: Thailand, 19th Century Size: Length 104.5 C.M. / Width 5.3 C.M. / Height 28.6 C.M. Condition: Nice condition overall (some expected degradation due t...

Indian stone carvings depicting reclining a cow / bull / ox, Nandi, or Vrishabha, the bull vahana or vehicle of the god Shiva, outfitted with saddles, bridles, and headpieces upon th...

This Chinese terracotta group of figures is made up of three figures of Chinese dignitaries in glazed green and ocher terracotta on hexagonal bases and removable heads. From the d...

The small dots apparent on the surface of this stone stele are indicative of an oolitic silica structure or oolites formed in what is known as "Oolitic chert." The same phenomenon can also be observed in the Tang Dynasty Limestone Stele at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco. This formation occurs gradually over the course of thousands to several hundred thousand years within the soil or sea. Similar structures are commonly found in ancient fossils or arrowheads. Ancient peoples chose certain types of stones for tool-making, preferring materials that were easier to work with and could be sharpened effectively. This predilection is believed to be the reason why oolitic silica structures are frequently found in ancient arrowheads. The development of these oolitic silica structures is a very slow process involving the accumulation of siliceous layers around particulates. This phenomenon, where silica reacts with water to form layers around a nucleus, occurs under specific chemical and physical conditions. Typically, it takes thousands to hundreds of thousands of years for silica to gradually accumulate in layers through contact with moisture, a process that requires a precise harmony of many variables, including chemical conditions, temperature, pressure, pH, and biological activity. It is known that no other stele with such a silica structure has been identified to date, serving not only as evidence of its authenticity but also significantly enhancing the rarity of this piece. This stele appears to be a stone sculpture of an apsara, a celestial nymph from Buddhist and Hindu traditions. Despite its fragmentary state, the sculpture conveys grace and movement. The apsara is captured in a dynamic pose, perhaps once part of a larger tableau, playing a flute-like instrument. The black stand was made in Hong Kong at the time of the acquisition. Date : Northern Wei/Eastern Wei Dynasty(386~550) Size : 22cm (Height) x 16cm(diameter) Condition : Good (oolites dots on surface) Provenance : Acquired in late 1990s from Hongkong Reference : 1) Sotheby's New York 20 March 2018 - Jingyatang Treasures Of Chinese Buddhist...

These pair of blue vases is an original decorative terracotta object realized in the second half of the 19th century by Oriental manufacture. A beautiful couple of terracotta vase...

This jadeite carving of a standing lady was realized in China in the 20th century. Realized in green jadeite, this precious statue is carved in the ...

This antique Indian sandstone Apsara statue is an extraordinary and rare piece of sacred art, dating back to the 13th–14th century and originating from t...