Fragment of a Chinese Sign

This impressive sign was once hung above the entrance to a Chinese ancestral hall. It is made from planks of Elmwood covered in layers of thick black tree lacquer for protection from...

This Teakwood pediment carving came from a Northern Thai house. Pediment carvings were part of the traditional architecture system and were found under overhanging roof gables. We know it was a residential roof (and not a temple's) because of the shallow angle. Temple roofs are much steeper and usually temple exteriors were painted, so some pigment would usually remain, particularly towards the top. Thai houses were made from solid teak --walls, roofs, floors; everything. They were always raised on stilts to remain above seasonal flooding, snakes and other forest creatures. The area below the house was used for animals and storage. The Thai architectural wall system (including pediments) always employed heavy beams and thin floating panels. Visually these wall panels are very attractive and richly textured on account of exposure to moisture. Teak is very resistant to moisture and insects, so the lifespan of teak exterior parts can be over 150 years. The antique pediment...

This red sandstone carving was once embedded in the wall surrounding an aristocratic compound. It depicts scholars in a garden, eating and conversing. It came from Shanxi Province an...

This grand piece of moulding once framed an entrance or part of an ecclesiastical structure in a great church. Classical elements are seen in the rectangular dentil moulding and flo...

This unusual carving once graced the exterior of a Thai government building and bears the symbol of the King; a garuda. All national government buildings are in effect royal building...

This elegant wall lattice once fit inside tracks in the floor and ceiling for easy removal. Though visually simple, close inspection reveals the lattice t...

An English carved wooden architectural fragment in the manner of Adams, pierced with scrolling foliage. This is a great piece for an overdoor p...

Pair of hand painted architectural wall fragments, Plaster, Italian, Venetian Style.

A rectangular Chinese shop sign panel from the 19th century with calligraphy and distressed dark brown patina. Crafted in China, this shop sign featu...

Hewn from pine and held together with handmade iron nails, this provincial wooden wheel is a remarkable example of turn-of-the-century craftsmanship. Its monumental scale suggests it...

Hewn from pine and held together with iron hardware, this provincial wooden wheel is a remarkable example of turn-of-the-century craftsmanship. Its monumental scale suggests it was u...

Hewn from pine and held together with handmade iron nails, this provincial wooden wheel is a remarkable example of turn-of-the-century craftsmanship. Its monumental scale suggests it...