#27757 Unusual Antique Bone Inlaid Huali Hardwood Majiang Box Set
Decorative and Collectible Specialty Item ...
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Unusual Antique Bone Inlaid Huali Hardwood Majiang Box Set. This impressive hardwood box is intricately inlaid with buffalo bone with beautiful motives in insect, various flowers & vegetation, and figures. The inlaid at the front panel depicts a group of court officials, flanked by servants, playing a game on a table. The bottom calligraphy of "Happiness" gives way to its more modern age. This set with all small squares made of bone and bamboo still retain the original complete set of parts except for one minor round disc (out of four) inside the round container in the bottom drawer. This set is for a die-hard Majiang player and collector, ready to go to a right home! Earlier part of the 20th century. Dimensions: 6 1/2" x 6 1/2" x 9 1/2" H
#27759 Ex-Large Pair of Antique Chinese Wooden Doors with Original Iron Fitting (4th of July Sale)
Door Specialty Item Chinese Furiture ...
9000.00
3600.00
Ex-Large Size Antique Chinese Wooden Doors with Original Iron fitting in beautiful dotted pattern in original good unfinished condition. Made of northern Chinese elm with original dark hue color over the wood. 19th century. (Price is for the pair) Dimensions: (This item is currently in our storage. Please allow for two day's advance notice before being able to view the pair in our showroom)
#26791 Large Size Antique Carved Red Lacquer Wash Stand (4th of July Sale)
Specialty Item Chinese Furiture ...
2600.00
650.00
Large Size Antique Qing Dynasty Carved Round Red Lacquer Wash Stand with gilt carving of simple vegetation and old red lacquer made of organic mineral pigments. This well constructed and striking wash stand was part of a bride's dowry and held a brass or porcelain bowl containing water for the bride to clean her face. It's curved legs are well carved in a Qing style. In the middle, several crossed bars are constructed for holding the weight. On one side of the stand, the old red lacquer has faded and possibly re-touched up as well. Late 19-early 20th century. Sold as is. This stand can still be used as a wash stand or on an entryway to hold some beautiful plant, or by placing a glass top and use it as a small side table. Dimensions: 23" (15 3/8"inside circle) Diameter x 27" H
#25349 Qing Dynasty Scholar's Book Chest with Lift Door and Carved Calligraphy
Small Cabinet and Chest Chinese Furiture Specialty Item ...
2800.00
1400.00
This Very Rare and Unusual Antique Chinese Scholar's Manuscript Storage Book Chest with A Lift Style Door and Carved Calligraphy is made of good Ju wood and Jar-Zhen hardwood except for the top and the sides which look to be a type of Chinese cedar. It has a shelf inside and a bottom drawer. The chest is enclosed on all sides with separate brass bands and a rarely seen old brass front plate in a begonia flower shape with a cicada resting on top of it. It also has two old side brass handle for easy carrying. The calligraphy reads in several parts with the two characters on the top right "己未, Ji-Wei Year", indicating the 56th year of the ancient Chinese 60-year cycling "干支, Gan-Zhi" calendar system. The two characters at the bottom left "蘭亭, Lan-Ting" is probably a location name which is in now Zhejiang province. It is the same place where the famous Eastern Jin Dynasty calligrapher Wong-Xi-Zhi wrote his famous "Lan-Ting-Xu" manual. The five characters in the middle spreading from top left to bottom right with "Rui Feng Shan Ren, Auspicious Peak Mountain Hermit" for the first four characters. The meaning of the last character is unknown. This character is usually associated with some civil duty position or responsibility, but it could also just be the way the owner of this book chest granted himself for his vision as a scholar. This chest is estimated to be from the 1800's. Dimensions: 18" L x 13 1/2" D x 15 3/4" H
#25137 Antique Chinese Table Screen with Stone Plaque with Painting and Calligraphy Poem
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(清代彩繪白石桌屏) Small Antique Chinese Qing Dynasty Table Screen with White Stone Plaque with Original Painting and Calligraphy Poem. This wonderful antique table screen with a Ming style thick wooden frame has an elegant rounded begonia flower style corner construction with divided sections inserted with recessed smaller wooden plaques with a slender begonia shape design in "open window" style cutouts. The frame is in its original thick old black lacquer. The wood might be Yu wood (northern elm) or Chinese walnut. The stone plaque is securely inserted into the center of the wooden frame when built and can not be removed. One side of the screen is painted with beautiful array of colors in red, yellow, light green, and brown colors derived from all organic minerals and vegetation. Some colors already faded. It depicts a scene of a highly ranked official, flanked by two young attendants with a horse, visiting or asking the way from a hermit who carries a bamboo woven basket on his side, all in a mountainous landscape. The other side of the stone plaque is written with a poem in calligraphy with signature and chops. The poem came from Tang poet Wang-Chong-Ling (王昌齡)'s “Cai-Lian-Qu (採蓮曲, Song of Picking Lotus), describing the beauty of the young girl working in the lotus pond, against the beautiful scenery of lotus flowers and plants that made the two indistinguishable. One only realized the human existence by hearing of the song of the person. It masterfully described the viewer's indulgence, lost in the beauty of nature and life. The poem might have been added on later though with some fading. This is a rare and beautiful old stone table screen with original rich and beautiful colors. Some old cracks on the stone. As is. A table screen was often used to define an intimate personal space on a scholarly desk. It is also a symbol of status for the literati class as well as being used for Feng-Shui purpose. A beautiful table screen is a collector's favorite and sought-after object in collecting Chinese art. Poem in Chinese: 荷葉羅裙一色裁,芙蓉向臉兩邊開。 亂入池中看不見,聞歌始覺有人來。 Dimensions: 17 3/4" x 7 1/2" D (foot) x 19 1/4" H
#25138 Pair of Antique Black Lacquer Wooden Couplet with Calligraphy
Decorative and Collectible Decorative & Collectibles Specialty Item ...
2500.00
520.00
Pair of Antique Black Lacquer Wooden Couplet Panels with Gilt Calligraphy Poem. Comes with old metal hangers. The long plaques are shaped slightly rounded as supposedly flat but they hang just fine. The signed calligraphy poem depicts a life philosophy, possibly from an owner of a studio or a large hall room, in that the calligrapher expresses an attitude of enjoying good scenery and good life while being creative in writing and reading to know the life's past and present. These plaques were refinished in clear lacquer over its old black lacquer and gilt writing. Chinese couplet writing is a special genre of its own art and is significant for both Chinese literati and Chinese culture when it comes to home and architecture when auspicious meaning or life philosophy were expressed through seen writing in the most prominent way in daily life. The couplet are hung on the two sides of doors or separately and oppositely to each other in a larger room like a formal gathering hall or living room. The characters often correspond to each other in word-by-word or phrase-by-phrase manner and are important to form the whole meaning of the poem together. They are also often written rhythmically when read. One finds the life philosophy of the owner or the scholar, or the element of prosperity of the people who resided in the building. Dimensions for each: 72" L x 12 1/4" W
#24829 Antique Street Vendor's Tool Chest with Bellow and Tall Bamboo Handles
Small Cabinet and Chest Chinese Furiture Specialty Item ...
820.00
465.00
(清代木製小食具箱)This wonderful 19th century food and tool carrier for a street vendor is evidence of a disappearing street trade from the past era in China. A street vendor started a day with strapping together, with ropes, a tiny ceramic coal stove, brass pan (for keeping the cooked food warm, such as tea eggs), and others on and to the chest, while placing his stirs, scissors, coin change, and other necessary trade items inside the compartments of a hidden drawer underneath a tray and a cover on the top of the chest. With a small metal gong hung at the top in between the tall bamboo handles, this compact tool chest served as an essential and convenient companion for a street vendor to make a daily living. Upon arriving at a small ally or street, he then stroke the gong to announce his arrival as women and children running out of households to buy their daily treats! This particular tool chest also has an unusual beautiful carved four-petal flower cutout at the bottom where the bellow is, which serves the function for the air to go through when pumping with the handle of the bellow with another opening on the side that connects to a separate stove. What a unique piece! This surely is a collector's conversational piece! In good condition with natural wear and patina. Dimensions: Base is 16" x 8" and the height is 39" H
#24147 Antique Apothecary Chest with Many Drawers in Dark Lacquer (Sold)
Specialty Item Chinese Furiture ...
3400.00
1150.00
Medium to Large Size Antique Apothecary Chest with Many Drawers in Dark Lacquer. This apothecary chest is solidly made with old drawers. It is built with a traditional style with rounded posts showing recessed flat-surfaced drawer faces with metal pull for each drawer. Such chest or cabinet was used to store Chinese herbs and is very handy to use in the modern home for organizing little objects. It is a very popular type of furniture. This northern Chinese piece is well built and very heavy! Estimated to be 19th century. Dimensions: 41 1/2" L x 21 1/2" D x 41" H
#23939 Extremely Rare Antique Tei-Li Hardwood Footrest with Massage Roller
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Extremely Rare Antique Precious Tei-Li Hardwood Footrest with Massage Roller. With Chinese government's antique wax seal. Ming-Qing period. A fine piece for Chinese art collectors looking for rare exotic objects made of precious hardwood. Dimensions: 16 1/2" L x 11 3/4" D x 6 3/4" H
#20331 Antique Footed Wash Tub with Rare Auspicious Coin Design
Specialty Item Chinese Furiture ...
820.00
425.00
Antique Wooden Footed Wash Tub with Rare Auspicious Coin Design and Old Red Lacquer. This wash tub is made of sectioned Ju wood pegged together before layers of thick red lacquer made of organic mineral was applied to. The height of the tub is designed to comfortably lift one leg while standing on the other as one soaked or washed one's foot. The design of the handle for carrying the tub while not in use is particularly interesting. It has the same shape as that of a head rest on a Nan-Guan-Mao style scholar's chair, showing the universal design and concept of old Chinese furniture construction has its common root. Coin motif was often used in old Chinese woodwork to generate the good wish of a lifetime's wealth and prosperity for the user as the object lasted. Over 100 years old. Dimensions: 15 7/8" Diameter (tub) x 21" H
21383 Antique Rare Red Lacquer Carved Child's Keeper with Latticework
Tea Table and Low Table Specialty Item ...
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Antique Chinese Red Lacquer Carved Child's Keeper with Latticework. This is a particular beautiful one, very unusual with "Double-Happiness" character in its lattice composition for a bride as part of her dowry to accompany her life with the husband's family. French Polish finish over original organic color pigments. 19th century. This beautiful carte or case keeps the child safe while freeing mother to do her other house chords! With a glass top, this could be a beautiful end table in a modern decor! Dimensions: 19 1/4" x 19 1/4" x 23" H
#15616 Rare 17-18th Century Carved Antique Chinese Walnut Hardwood Brazier Case/ Stand
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This interesting large size antique carved stand/ case was a puzzle until an expert in restoring valuable old Chinese furniture pieces visited our gallery and told us what it was. He knew because he once restored another similar item like this one. This early Qing brazier stand is a lining case for a bowl containing burning coal. The bowl would have been hung in the middle by four iron linked chains extended from the four corners inside the case. It is a source of heating during the cold winter in ancient China when electricity was not available. In one of the detailed photo, one can see this case has part of one metal loop chain remaining inside and is missing three other metal connecting chains. The supporting frame is made of Yu wood, northern elm, while the carved panels of the frame are made of Chinese walnut hardwood. So, this piece is actually a lining case for a brazier stand. What an unusual carved piece with wonderful Fu-lions on the top at the four corners! Just look at those expressions on the faces of the human-like Fu-lions! They make one smile! Furniture and one's living space are like twins not separable in both practical and spiritual way for many. On old Chinese furniture pieces, we often see carved auspicious symbols used to bless the people who lived in the house. The Fu-lion is generally a “blessing” and a symbol to "ward off the evil". Dimensions: 31 1/4"D x 38 7/8" H
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