18th Century and Earlier Ephemera

Circa 1780/1810 China for Export in Europe/Portugal Large bedspread or hanging in cream satin embroidered with polychrome mercerized silk threads. Large orderly and architecturally d...

Circa 1780/1810 Canton/ China for export to Europe Large bedspread or hanging in sky-blue chiné satin silk embroidered with polychrome mercerized satin silk thread and couched stitch...

Circa 1780 France Precious and rare quilted Indian woodblock quilt dating from the Louis XVI period. Manufacture unidentified but possibly from the Indian basin Alsace, Germany, Swit...

Late 16th - early 17th century Italy Rare and precious complete Italian chasuble (back and front) dating from the end of the 16th century. Rich curly and chiseled cut velvet in a sha...

This rare antique Edo-period (1615-1868) Japanese handmade inro is a curved lozenge-shaped hand-dyed woven-silk hard carrying-case container sheath that features intricate embroidery with rock-crystal or glass beadwork and thin leather-wrapped thread appliques. For its "Kimono Style" exhibition, TheMet museum noted: "the dying, weaving, and embroidery techniques for which Japan is famed reached their peak of artistic sophistication during the Edo period." On the burgundy finely-braided silk obijime cord that suspends the inro hang adjustable ojime fasteners of glazed earthenware, which are hand-painted with underglaze and overglaze enamels. The imagery includes signature-like branches, mountains, and a pine tree. Each knotted end of the cord dangles from the bottom of the inro with two rice-paper tubular beads. We could not find any Japanese beads...