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Pair of Chinese Iron Bound Courtyard Doors, c. 1900
Located in Chicago, IL
This impressive set of doors dates to the turn of the century and originated as the outermost entrance gate to a traditional courtyard home in northern China. Crafted of locust wood and hand-worked iron, the rustic doors have developed a fantastic texture from years of use. The original layer of dark brown lacquer has eroded with an inimitable crackle, revealing the beautiful wood grain underneath.
The door fronts are reinforced with studded iron bands and decorative iron plates in the shape of clouds or ruyi. The doors are fitted with a simple iron latch and four round door pulls...
Category
Antique Late 19th Century Chinese Qing Doors and Gates
Materials
Iron
Chinese Blue and White Fu Lion Headrest
Located in Chicago, IL
This small ceramic block is actually a form of Chinese headrest or neck pillow. Popular during the Qing dynasty, rigid headrests such as this were used by upper-class women to protec...
Category
Mid-20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Ceramics
Materials
Porcelain
Chinese Blue and White Fu Lion Headrest
Located in Chicago, IL
This square ceramic block is actually a form of Chinese headrest or neck pillow. Popular during the Qing dynasty, rigid headrests such as this were used by upper-class women to prote...
Category
Early 20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Ceramics
Materials
Porcelain
Chinese Blue and White Fu Lion Headrest, c. 1900
Located in Chicago, IL
This large ceramic block is actually a form of Chinese headrest or neck pillow. Popular during the Qing dynasty, rigid headrests such as this were used by upper-class women to protect their elaborate hairstyles by elevating the head during slumber. This example dates to the early 20th century and is glazed in the blue-and-white style with rich, cobalt-blue color.
The headrest is decorated on all sides with mythical fu lion dogs playing with ribbon-tied brocade balls, a motif that evokes the idiom "may you and your descendant achieve high rank." A powerful and benevolent guardian, the fu lion (shizi) is the perfect force to protect against nightmares and bad energy. A geometric meander trims the corners and small dragon-like bats frame coin...
Category
Early 20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Ceramics
Materials
Porcelain
Chinese Celadon Glazed Temple Headrest, c. 1900
Located in Chicago, IL
To keep her elaborate hairstyle intact while sleeping, a well-to-do Qing-dynasty woman would use a rigid headrest or neck pillow to keep her head elevated. Whether functional or pure...
Category
Early 20th Century Chinese Qing Ceramics
Materials
Porcelain
Chinese Blue Glazed Tripod Censer
Located in Chicago, IL
Censers have been used for thousands of years in Chinese culture as an element of prayer, ritual, and funerary rites. Placed within a shrine and filled with burning incense, the censer issues fragrant smoke that the duration of the ritual and acts as an offering to one's ancestors or religious deities. This round ceramic incense burner...
Category
Early 20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Ceramics
Materials
Ceramic
Chinese Peking Glass Bok Choy Charm, c. 1920
Located in Chicago, IL
Although practiced for centuries, Chinese glass-making gained prominence during the Qing-dynasty with the introduction of Peking glass. Adapting European technologies, workshops in the Imperial Palace began creating layered and intricately-carved glass pieces that mimicked the translucency of jade, semiprecious stones, and rare jewels.
This Peking glass charm is sculpted as a tiny bok choy...
Category
Early 20th Century Chinese Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Glass
Chinese Lucky Girl Headrest, c. 1900
Located in Chicago, IL
To keep her elaborate hairstyle intact while sleeping, a well-to-do Qing-dynasty woman would use a rigid headrest or neck pillow to keep her head elevated. Whether functional or purely decorative, such headrests were crafted from a variety of materials and were often decorated with elaborate patterns or symbolic motifs.
This porcelain headrest...
Category
Early 20th Century Chinese Qing Ceramics
Materials
Porcelain
Tibetan Repoussé Traveling Shrine, c. 1850
Located in Chicago, IL
Tibetan traveling shrines, known as Gau, were believed to offer protective powers and were used to hold and carry sacred objects during long journeys....
Category
Antique Mid-19th Century Tibetan Tibetan Mounted Objects
Materials
Brass
Pair of Chinese Black Lacquer Courtyard Doors, C. 1850
Located in Chicago, IL
This impressive set of doors dates to the turn of the century and originated as the outermost entrance gate to a traditional courtyard home in northern China. The pair is crafted of northern elm (yumu) and finished with dark black lacquer and hand-worked iron hardware. Bands of studded iron reinforce the fronts and simple iron plates secure the door latch and round door pulls...
Category
Antique Mid-19th Century Chinese Qing Doors and Gates
Materials
Iron
Chinese Yangliuqing New Year Painting of Beauty and Baby, c. 1920
Located in Chicago, IL
Chinese New Year paintings (nian hua) are colorful folk paintings created to celebrate the annual Spring Festival. Drawn or printed by folk artists in regional studios, nian hua pain...
Category
Vintage 1920s Chinese Folk Art Paintings and Screens
Materials
Paper
Tibetan Traveler
s Trunk with Painted Hide, c. 1850
Located in Chicago, IL
This antique traveler's chest from Tibet or Mongolia is one of the most unique trunks we've come across in our 20 years of collecting. Dated to the 19...
Category
Antique Mid-19th Century Tibetan Tibetan Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Materials
Hide, Wood
Pair of Chinese Brass Brazier Tongs, c. 1850
Located in Chicago, IL
In 20 years of collecting, we have never run across a pair of brazier tongs, making this object truly a rare find. Once used by a scholar or wealthy homeowner to place hot coals in a...
Category
Antique Mid-19th Century Chinese Qing Antiquities
Materials
Brass
Pair of Chinese Blue and White Qilin Vases, c. 1900
Located in Chicago, IL
A parade of Qilin, Chinese mythical creatures symbolizing magnificence, joy, and benevolence, march around these hand-painted contemporary porcelain fantail vases. These particular f...
Category
Early 20th Century Chinese Chinese Export Ceramics
Materials
Porcelain
Chinese Blue and White Shizi Jar
Located in Chicago, IL
Images of shizi, a lion-dog symbol of power and strength of character, cavort among the stylized clouds of heaven on this hand-painted covered jar. Original...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Chinese Export Ceramics
Materials
Ceramic
Persimmon Orange Bottleneck Vase
Located in Chicago, IL
Drawing on a long Chinese tradition of monochrome ceramics, this tall gooseneck vase is glazed in vibrant persimmon-orange glaze. The vase features a rounded, globular body and a nar...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Modern Vases
Materials
Porcelain
$480 / item
Chinese Lacquered Bench with Splayed Legs, c. 1850
Located in Chicago, IL
In most Qing dynasty homes, stools and chairs were the only form of elevated seating, and a bench such as this would have been found at a temple or public theater. This 19th century walnut bench has splayed legs linked by straight double stretchers and topped by finely beaded carved spandrels. Sourced from China’s Shanxi region, walnut was a prized material for Qing dynasty furniture...
Category
Antique Mid-19th Century Chinese Qing Benches
Materials
Walnut
Low Chinese Stool with Woven Hide Top, c. 1850
Located in Chicago, IL
The top of this stool was woven with incredible care by a skilled artisan who used thin strips of hide to create multiple patterns in the seat, including stars. The hand-hewn stool w...
Category
Antique Mid-19th Century Chinese Qing Stools
Materials
Elm, Hide
Chinese Luohan Bed with Stepped Railing, c. 1850
Located in Chicago, IL
Prior to the 10th century, Chinese society eschewed raised seats in favor of mats. The rising popularity of chairs and other forms of elevated seating led craftsmen to adapt traditional cabinetry techniques to create the versatile luohan bed...
Category
Antique Mid-19th Century Chinese Qing Furniture
Materials
Elm
Monumental Chinese Limestone Drum, c. 1800
Located in Chicago, IL
This monumental drum stool was hand-carved from solid limestone by artisans in Shanxi province over two centuries ago. Drum-form stools such as this were traditionally used in gardens and outdoor...
Category
Antique Early 19th Century Chinese Qing Patio and Garden Furniture
Materials
Limestone
Framed Chinese Erotic Pillow Book, c. 1850
Located in Chicago, IL
A pillow book was meant to teach a young bride about the art of lovemaking. This rare museum-quality 19th century example is composed of 12 masterfully pai...
Category
Antique Mid-19th Century Chinese Qing Paintings and Screens
Materials
Silk, Paper
Tibetan Mechag Flint Striker, c. 1850
Located in Chicago, IL
In 19th century Tibet, many men would have carried a flint striker along with several other tools that could help ensure survival in the often-harsh climate of the Tibetan Plateau. K...
Category
Antique Mid-19th Century Tibetan Tibetan Antiquities
Materials
Bronze, Silver
Chinese Relief Carved Architectural Panel with Fruit and Flora, c. 1850
Located in Chicago, IL
It’s difficult to pinpoint what makes this handcrafted panel so impressive: the artful relief carvings of seasonal fruit and lush, foliage-filled vases ...
Category
Antique Mid-19th Century Chinese Qing Decorative Art
Materials
Spruce
Chinese Yangliuqing New Year Painting of Beauty and Baby, c. 1920
Located in Chicago, IL
Chinese New Year paintings (nian hua) are colorful folk paintings created to celebrate the annual Spring Festival. Drawn or printed by folk artists in regional studios, nian hua pain...
Category
Vintage 1920s Chinese Folk Art Paintings and Screens
Materials
Paper
Chinese Stone Seated Shakyamuni Buddha Stele, c. 1850
Located in Chicago, IL
This carved stone stele depicts the historical Buddha, known also as Shaka, Shakyamuni, or Siddhartha Gautama. Seated in perpetual meditation, the Buddha embodies virtues of wisdom and composure. Hand-carved of limestone in the style of Northern Wei (386-535) statuary, the Buddha is depicted upon a lotus plinth with legs crossed in lotus position. His hands are held downwards in bhumisparsha mudra, a gesture representing the moment that the Buddha claimed the earth as witness to his awakening.
The Buddha has a peaceful, benevolent expression and is framed by a halo of concentric circles. His figure is surrounded by attendant bodhisattvas, carved in relief on the curved stele behind and platform below. Leafy tree branches add a naturalistic touch to the background, wrapping around to the back of the stele to form a canopy above a second, smaller Buddha...
Category
Antique Mid-19th Century Chinese Qing Sculptures and Carvings
Materials
Limestone
Korean Red
Black Lacquer Wedding Chest, c. 1920
Located in Chicago, IL
This lacquered wedding chest dates to the early 20th century and was likely originally used as a bridewealth chest during a traditional Korean wedding ceremony. The exterior is finished with red and black lacquer and decorated with two round medallions conveying blessings of luck (?) and longevity (?). The medallions are surrounded by raised decoration resembling folk paper-cuts in the shape of floral wreaths and phoenixes. The chest opens from the top, secured with a brass lock plate in the form of a butterfly, a traditional symbol of a life of prosperity and joy. Vintage newsprint...
Category
Early 20th Century Korean Trunks and Luggage
Materials
Brass
Set of Four Chinese Deco Dining Chairs, circa 1930s
Located in Chicago, IL
Made in the 1930s to satisfy the worldwide hunger for all things Art Deco, these unique chairs combine the streamlined style of the era with a Classic Chinese aesthetic. The beautifu...
Category
Vintage 1930s Chinese Art Deco Dining Room Chairs
Materials
Wool, Hardwood
Chinese Polychrome Seated Ancestor Figure, C. 1800
Located in Chicago, IL
An integral part of traditional Chinese home life, ancestor worship before a domestic altar often featured painted ancestral portraits or tabletop ancestor figure...
Category
Antique Early 19th Century Chinese Qing Sculptures and Carvings
Materials
Wood
Chinese Double Steamed Wine Jar
Located in Chicago, IL
This early 20th-century ceramic jar is formed in a traditional shape meant for storing wine and spirits made from rice and grains. Known as cheng, these jars are defined by having a ...
Category
Early 20th Century Chinese Rustic Ceramics
Materials
Ceramic
Tibetan Painted Dragon Chest of Drawers, c. 1850
Located in Chicago, IL
The number 12 figures prominently in Tibetan astrology, making this simple chest’s dozen drawers the perfect canvas to honor the year of the dragon. Tibet...
Category
Antique Mid-19th Century Tibetan Tibetan Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Materials
Wood, Lacquer, Paint
Chinese Low Kang Table, C. 1850
Located in Chicago, IL
During winter in the colder provinces of China, life revolved around the kang, a heated brick platform that household members would sit or recline upon. Low tables placed atop the kang provided a convenient surface for dining, drinking tea, or playing games.
Crafted of beautiful hardwood, this low kang table...
Category
Antique Mid-19th Century Chinese Qing Furniture
Materials
Hardwood
Pair of Chinese Silk Lotus Slippers, c. 1850
Located in Chicago, IL
These dainty, pointed slippers, made of blue silk and embroidered with pink flowers, were shaped to resemble a lotus bud and enhanced the diminutive shape of bound feet. A practice that began in the Tang dynasty and reached the height of its popularity in the Qing dynasty, foot binding was a painful process intended to make a woman's feet as small as possible by restricting bone growth from an early age. The smaller the feet the more attractive and erotic they were, giving elite women a mark of elegance and a distinctive - albeit tortured - gait of small, light steps. These embroidered silk lotus slippers...
Category
Antique Mid-19th Century Chinese Qing Textiles
Materials
Cotton, Silk
Korean Wedding Chest, c. 1920
Located in Chicago, IL
This lacquered wedding chest dates to the early 20th century and was likely originally used as a bridewealth chest during a traditional Korean wedding ceremony. The exterior is finished with red and black lacquer and decorated with two round medallions conveying blessings of luck and longevity. The chest opens from the top, secured with a brass lock plate in the form of a butterfly, a traditional symbol of a life of prosperity and joy. Vintage newsprint...
Category
Early 20th Century Korean Trunks and Luggage
Materials
Brass
Chinese Red Glass Snuff Bottle
Located in Chicago, IL
A mixture of finely powdered tobacco, herbs, and spices, snuff was introduced to China in the 17th century by Western diplomats. Initially reserved for ranking members of Qing-dynast...
Category
20th Century Chinese Qing More Asian Art, Objects and Furniture
Materials
Glass
Chinese Polychrome Seated Ancestor Figure, C. 1900
Located in Chicago, IL
An integral part of traditional Chinese home life, ancestor worship before a domestic altar often featured painted ancestral portraits or tabletop ance...
Category
Early 20th Century Chinese Qing Sculptures and Carvings
Materials
Wood
Chinese Sancai Glazed Buddhist Arhat, Ming Dynasty, c. 1600
Located in Chicago, IL
This imposing figure is the head of an Arhat, a Buddhist devotee who has attained enlightenment, also called a “Luohan.” The eighteen original Arhat are the personal disciples of Buddha and the guardians of Buddhist adherents. Each is represented with a unique disposition, posture, and distinctive symbol.
This exquisitely formed monumental ceramic Arhat dates to the Ming dynasty (1368-1644) and has likely been separated from its original full body sculpture...
Category
Antique Early 17th Century Chinese Ming Sculptures and Carvings
Materials
Ceramic, Wood
Pair of Chinese Spindleback Armchairs, c. 1850
Located in Chicago, IL
These 19th century spindleback armchairs owe their graceful design to the styles and techniques that emerged during the Ming dynasty, the golden a...
Category
Antique Mid-19th Century Chinese Qing Furniture
Materials
Walnut
$4,680 / set
Chinese Two-Door Black Cabinet, c. 1850
Located in Chicago, IL
The imposing doors of this 19th century cabinet are accented with a trio of lozenge-shaped moldings that enliven the tall, rectilinear silhouette with horizontal lines. Invigorating ...
Category
Antique Mid-19th Century Chinese Qing Furniture
Materials
Brass
Pair of Chinese Red Lacquer Book Cabinets, c. 1900
Located in Chicago, IL
Dated to the late 19th century, this pair of tall book cabinets was once used in a scholars' studio or well-to-do home to store a collector's most ch...
Category
Antique Late 19th Century Chinese Qing Bookcases
Materials
Elm
Chinese Reverse Glass Painting of Taoist Immortals, c. 1900
Located in Chicago, IL
Popularized during the Qing dynasty, reverse glass painting requires an artist to essentially work backwards, starting with details and shading before adding color and form. Lending the finished work a subtle three-dimensional effect, this exacting technique doesn't allow for any corrections, and is only revealed to its full effect when the glass pane is turned around. This example dates to the late 19th century and depicts the Taoist immortals He Xiangu and Cao Guojiu. Said to have attained immortality through their studies of the natural world, the Eight Immortals each represent a different condition in life and impart blessings of prosperity and longevity. The charming scene is likely one of a set of...
Category
Early 20th Century Chinese Paintings and Screens
Materials
Glass, Wood
Chinese Red Lacquer Roundback Chair, c. 1850
Located in Chicago, IL
Prior to the 10th century, Chinese society eschewed raised seats in favor of mats. The rising popularity of chairs and other forms of elevated seating led craftsmen to adapt traditio...
Category
Antique Mid-19th Century Chinese Qing Furniture
Materials
Elm
Chinese Stone Shakyamuni Buddha Head
Located in Chicago, IL
With closed eyes and a gentle expression, this large stone Buddha head brings calm and serenity to its surroundings. The hand-carved figure depicts the historic Buddha Shakyamuni, also known as Shaka, Gautama Buddha...
Category
20th Century Chinese Qing Sculptures and Carvings
Materials
Stone
"Recumbent Lion" Lingbi Scholars
Rock Sculpture
Located in Chicago, IL
Sculptural and unusual stone formations have long been fixtures of the scholars' studio, displayed as sources of beauty and creative inspiration. Known as gongshi, or scholars' rocks...
Category
Late 20th Century Chinese Organic Modern Natural Specimens
Materials
Limestone, Steel
Chinese Painted Book Cabinet, c. 1850
Located in Chicago, IL
This lacquered display cabinet from Shanxi province was crafted in the mid-19th century using traditional mortise-and-tenon joinery methods. The enclosed lower half was used for general storage and the open upper shelf was used to display precious objects such as vases, curios, or piles of books.
The exterior is darkened by a black lacquer finish and hand-painted with charming decorative motifs, including bronze censers, flower vases, scrolls, and scholars' objects. Original brass hardware secures the doors, now richly aged with a smooth patina and subtle oxidation. Unusual for its smaller scale, we love this painted cabinet in a children's bedroom or playroom as an unexpected bookcase or toy chest...
Category
Antique Mid-19th Century Chinese Qing Cabinets
Materials
Elm
Southeast Asian Polychrome Figure, c. 1850
Located in Chicago, IL
This large polychromed wood figure from southeast Asia dates to the mid-19th century and depicts a male attendant or entertainer. Hand-carved by...
Category
Antique Mid-19th Century Southeast Asian Sculptures and Carvings
Materials
Wood
Chinese Stone Warrior Statue with Fu Dog
Located in Chicago, IL
This hand-carved stone statue depicts a fearsome Chinese warrior or general, clad in armor with a chest plate and fu dog sleeves. He stands atop a reclinin...
Category
20th Century Chinese Sculptures and Carvings
Materials
Stone
Chinese Bent Handle Fisherman
s Basket, circa 1850
Located in Chicago, IL
Basket making is an ancient and humble craft, but in the hands of a skilled weaver a simple willow basket can become a truly beautiful work of art. This bent handle basket was made i...
Category
Antique Mid-19th Century Chinese Rustic Decorative Baskets
Materials
Bentwood, Willow
Pair of Chinese Woven Top Square Stools, c. 1850
Located in Chicago, IL
Lightweight and portable, stools were popular in Qing-dynasty homes for their simplicity and convenience. These elegant 19th-century square stools have beautifully worked frames featuring rounded edges, humpback stretchers, and ruyi-form fretwork finished with dark lacquer. Each top is inset with a hand-woven seat, providing textural contrast to the graceful elmwood frame. Used as seats or low side tables, this pair of square stools...
Category
Antique Mid-19th Century Chinese Qing Furniture
Materials
Reed, Elm
$2,480 / set
Chinese Bent Handle Fisherman
s Basket, circa 1900
Located in Chicago, IL
Basket making is an ancient and humble craft, but in the hands of a skilled weaver a simple willow basket becomes a truly beautiful statement. The artisan’s mastery is evident in thi...
Category
Early 20th Century Chinese Rustic Decorative Baskets
Materials
Wood, Willow
Pair of Japanese Obi Pillows in Silver and Orange
Located in Chicago, IL
This pair of artisan-designed pillows was made by hand from a vintage Japanese obi patterned with orange wave-like swirls against a metallic silver field. ...
Category
Vintage 1970s Japanese Modern Textiles
Materials
Linen, Silk, Down
Painted Chinese Kang Table with Stone Inlay, c. 1900
Located in Chicago, IL
During winter in the colder provinces of China, life revolved around the kang, a heated brick platform that household members would sit or recline upon. Placed on top of the kang, lo...
Category
Early 20th Century Chinese Chinoiserie Furniture
Materials
Agate, Soapstone
Persimmon Orange Bottleneck Vase
Located in Chicago, IL
Drawing on a long Chinese tradition of ceramics, this striking long-necked vase is cloaked in an all-over persimmon-orange glaze. With a rounded, globular body and cylindrical neck, ...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Modern Vases
Materials
Porcelain
$480 / item
Pair of Chinese Lacquered Tall Back Chairs, c. 1850
Located in Chicago, IL
With clean lines and balanced proportions, these 19th-century tall back chairs exemplify the refined forms of Ming-dynasty furniture design. The chairs are designed after the 'southe...
Category
Antique Mid-19th Century Chinese Qing Furniture
Materials
Elm
Japanese Tabako-bon with Two Rabbits, c. 1920
Located in Chicago, IL
This wooden box is a Japanese tabako-bon, or 'tobacco tray,' used to store tobacco and smoking accessories. Believed to have evolved from the traditional ...
Category
Early 20th Century Japanese Taisho Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes
Materials
Bamboo, Bakelite, Hardwood
Japanese Keyaki Elm Tabako-Bon, c. 1900
Located in Chicago, IL
This box with many drawers is a Japanese tabako-bon, or 'tobacco tray,' used to store tobacco and smoking accessories. Believed to have evolved from the t...
Category
Antique Late 19th Century Japanese Meiji Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes
Materials
Brass
Chinese Famille Rose Soup Tureen, c. 1870
Located in Chicago, IL
This late 19th century covered jar takes its rounded shape from serving tureens used to serve soups and stews. Contrasted by a crisp white field, the lid and sides are decorated with a lively scene of children at play in a courtyard garden. Accompanied by a man and woman, the children are each playing with a different toy, including a kite, a reed organ...
Category
Antique Late 19th Century Chinese Chinese Export Ceramics
Materials
Porcelain
$624 Sale Price
20% Off
Chinese Split Bamboo Headrest, circa 1850
Located in Chicago, IL
Crafted from lengths of split bamboo, this headrest enabled contour comfort, quite luxurious for 19th century, China. Lightweight and low-profile, it was the perfect accessory for a ...
Category
Antique Mid-19th Century Chinese Rustic Antiquities
Materials
Bamboo
Provincial Chinese Burden Bar, c. 1900
Located in Chicago, IL
Used across the shoulders to tote pails of water and grain, this 19th-century burden bar transcends its functional origins as a striking sculptural object. Also known as a carrying p...
Category
Antique Late 19th Century Chinese Qing Sculptures and Carvings
Materials
Brass
Japanese Gilt Takamaki-E Tabako-Bon, C. 1850
Located in Chicago, IL
This box with many drawers is a Japanese tabako-bon, or 'tobacco tray,' used to store tobacco and smoking accessories. Believed to have evolved from the t...
Category
Antique Mid-19th Century Japanese Meiji Lacquer
Materials
Brass
Pair of Chinese Guardian Lion Dogs, c. 1850
Located in Chicago, IL
This pair of monumental Fu-Lions, also known as shizi, once would have flanked the entrance to a Qing-dynasty home in China’s Shanxi province. One has a pearl under its foot, and the...
Category
Antique Mid-19th Century Chinese Qing Sculptures and Carvings
Materials
Limestone
$13,880 / set