Catalog: Antiques: Regional Art: Asian (179)

Early 20th Century Large Black-Lacquered Mother-of-Pearl Box, in fair condition with much loss of the mother-of-pearl. The brass hardware is old but is not original. 31.5 x 18.5 x 16.5 inches, 80 x 47 x 42 cm.

Rare Antique Onggi Medicinal Pot and Cover from Gyeonggi Province, with a beautiful deep, dark brown color. This pot is formed from two halves, a bottom half and a top half, that are put together to form this striking and unusual shape, with a ridged seam around the circumference of the pot. The clay is rich in iron and the glaze is made from clay mixed with wood ash and a little raw lead. The result is a rich dark chocolate brown. Height: 8 inches, 20.5 cm; Circumference: 26.5 inches, 67.25 cm. Onggi are the most 'Korean' of Korean pots. All words related to onggi are of pure Korean origin, not based on Chinese characters. They are a beautiful form of Korean folk art.

This gorgeous Ichung-nong (Korean Two Unit Stacked Chest) is a rare early piece (mid 19th Century) that has aged to a warm rich hue that is nothing short of a heartwarming and rare treasure to behold. It is a beautiful effect that could never be even closely duplicated with new wood. The finishing process involved singing the wood with a hot iron to both darken it and draw out the resin, and then using straw to rub pinesoot into the grain to further darken it and simultaneously seal the pores and prevent drying, and finishing it with a light pineseed oil finish. A further air of mystery and dignity is given by the very long aging process itself. It is constructed of pine and a rare strain of paulownia with maple door and drawer panels, a rare and luxurious touch on a Korean chest, evidence that this piece was owned by a wealthy family. Furthermore, 'nong' chests were owned by upper-class families who would have observed the distinction between 'nong', which were intended for long-term storage, and the 'chang' type of chests which were for short-term storage. Much of the ironwork is in the shape of stylized floral motifs. The drawers are adorned with lovely Heavenly Peach drawer pulls of iron. The fruit of the mythical Heavenly Peach tree ripens only once every three thousand years and is eaten by the immortals when they gather for their feast at Yao Lake at the the abode of Sohwangmo, the Queen Mother of the West. A further nice historical and cultural touch on an already wonderful, one-of-a-kind piece. 54h x 35w x 14d inches, 137h x 89w x 35.5d cm.

Very Rare Calligraphy by Kang Se Hwang aka Pyo Am (1713-1791), artist, calligrapher, art scholar and critic, and one of the most important figures and the most influential scholar-painter of 18th Century Korea. Calligraphy by Kang Se Hwang is so rare that the only other example that we know of in America is a very similar work in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, illustrated on pages 172-173 of the recently published, Pathways to Korean Culture: Paintings of the Joseon Dynasty by Burglind Jungmann. The left and right margins bear the signed and sealed authentication of the most renowned expert on Korean calligraphy, Kim Sun Won aka Mae San, celebrated calligrapher and host of the television show Jin Pum Myung Pum, the Korean equivalent of the Antiques Road Show. Mae San's authentications are highly valued and can be found on pieces in museum collections throughout Korea. 25 x 11 inches, 63.5 x 28 cm.

Nepalese Rai Tribe Mask with Pigment. 10.75 inches, 27.5 cm.

West Nepalese Mask with Yak Hair, 13 inches, 33 cm.

17th Century Tibetan Green Tara Thangka, 49.5 x 29.5 inches, 126 x 75 cm. Most of these thangka were photographed through glass frames, so there may be a little blurriness. This thankga was in an exhibition at the University of Texas Art Museum.

18th Century Tibetan Rudra Chakrin, King of Shambhala Thangka, 43.5 x 25.5 inches, 91.5 x 66 cm. Most of these thangka were photographed through glass frames, so there may be a little blurriness. This thankga was in an exhibition at the University of Texas Art Museum.

Black Lacquered Mother of Pearl Table. This is a low table used in ancestor worship rituals. The gorgeous peony flower is a symbol of abundance and wealth. The delightfully rendered dokkaebi goblins that adorn each leg are guardians that chase away evil spirits. The clouds are symbols of Heaven, and the plum blossoms are symbols of courage. As you can see in the photo, there is some loss to one of the dokkaebi goblins, but this table is in otherwise amazing and excellent condition. 25w x 13d x 11.75h inches, 63.5w x 33d x 30h cm.

Antique Korean Black Inkstone Box and Antique Inkstone. The poem on the lid is a beautiful work of calligraphy. It can be read in two directions as "Celebrated mountain object" and "Celebrated mountain extraordinary wisdom", meaning that this object will be used in the pursuit of wisdom. The inkstone has a banana leaf motif, referencing the 8th Century Chinese scholar and celebrated calligrapher, Huaisu who wrote on banana leaves when he ran out of paper. A rare and most interesting find. 9.5w x 6d x 2.75h inches, 24w x 15d x 7h cm.

Nepalese Middle Hills Mask with a Third Eye. 10.75 inches, 27.5 cm.

Antique Onggi Water Jar (Muldok) from Gyeongsang Province with a beautiful dark brown color. 15.5w x 9h inches, 39.5w x 23 cm. Onggi are the most 'Korean' of Korean pots. All words related to onggi are of pure Korean origin, not based on Chinese characters. They are a beautiful form of Korean folk art.

19th Century Korean Black Lacquered Mirror Box with Mother-of-Pearl Inlay of a pair of cranes, representing longevity and marital bliss, and peaches of immortality and abundant and propitious floral and geometric patterns. As is usually the case, the mirror is replaced. 9 x 7.5 x 4.5 inches, 23 x 19 x 11.5 cm.

Rare 18th Century Chinese Helmet with Original Dragon Embroidery Intact. Height: 17 inches, 43 cm.

Bhutanese Bon Deity Kyung Mask of Papier Mache, 15 inches, 38 cm.

Garuda Mask from Sherdukpen, Arunachal Pradesh, 12.5 inches, 31.5 cm.

Nepalese Middle Hills Joker Mask. 9.25 inches 23.5 cm.

Large Korean Antique Lacquered Sword with Painted Dragons. 58.5 inches, 148.5 cm.