Antique Ritual

The detailed rendering of posture, costume, and ritual implements reflects the fascination of European audiences with Polynesian performance culture during the age of exploration.

Early 19th Century Burmese worn lacquer offering bowl used in Buddhist rituals for offerings in temples. This fine example has a lovely shaped including a footed base and worn lacqu...

At its center hangs an authentic bronze ritual pendant, traditionally worn as a protective talisman by Himalayan nomadic tribes.

This antique Burmese Kammavaca manuscript book is an exceptional example of 19th-century Buddhist ritual art, originating from Burma (Myanmar). Crafted from lacquered palm leaves and...

Beautiful in its imperfection, this lidded jar from Yunnan province is an offering vessel, or spirit jar, originally filled with ritual offerings such as coins, shells, flowers and g...

Beautiful in its imperfection, this lidded jar from Yunnan province is an offering vessel, or spirit jar, originally filled with ritual offerings such as coins, shells, flowers and g...

The sculptural bottle is finished with a white glaze and traces of smoke residue and sediment, suggesting the oil lamp was heavily used for ritual purposes. Losses to rim and handles.

This monumental Balinese sculptural group represents a rare and highly accomplished example of large-scale ritual carving, most likely intended for an architectural or ceremonial set...

Ideal for collectors and interior enthusiasts, this rare object is perfect for those seeking an antique Burmese offering vessel, Shan-style ritual container, or a distinctive example...

The second plate presents a lively array of Roman figures and ritual objects, including priests, attendants, and symbolic implements, drawn from sources such as Spon, Maffei, and Beg...

These vessels were typically used as water baths or ritual troughs in Buddhist or Taoist temples. The lotus petal border (visible around the base of the handle) is a classic symbol o...

French bistros, bars, and cafes used these heavy glasses in the ritual of drinking the addictive beverage called "la fée verte" (the green fairy).

Produced at the height of the Seven Years' War (1756–1763), the piece reflects a period when tea drinking was not merely a social ritual but an act of public patriotism. The body is ...

The sculptural seat is richly decorated with continuous relief friezes depicting mythological and ritual scenes in the manner of ancient Greek and Etruscan art.

This composition captures both the spiritual and performative identity of the Dervish, a figure associated with Sufi mysticism, ascetic devotion, and ritual movement. The poised stan...

Very special antique Mongolian ritual “book,” featuring superb illustrations and highly unusual, beautifully decorated covers.

This early 20th century cast bronze letter opener understands that ritual. Crowned with a watchful owl, feathers stylized, eyes wide and knowing, it transforms the simple act of ope...

Today, they read as both record and ritual, an honest portrait of the sporting life.

Rustic and highly textured, the sculptural ceramic form is thick with smoke residue and sediment, suggesting the lamp was frequently used for ritual purposes. The pillar stem is shap...

The richly layered composition conveys movement, ritual, and authority, offering a rare glimpse into the ceremonial life of 19th-century Vatican Rome.

“hand in faith”) ring is a type of ring that has spread from the 17th century onwards as an expression of eternal love that sanctioned marriage, according to an iconography that take...

A variety of stylized vases, jardinières, and ritual forms are depicted with remarkable individuality, each filled with flowering branches that extend outward in elegant, rhythmic li...

This impressive composition presents the enigmatic tablet in its entirety, filled with Egyptianizing figures, deities, ritual scenes, and ornamental hieroglyphs arranged within an el...

The long, braided, artificial beard, held in place with a ribbon, of ritual significance, is also an element characteristic of the pharaoh.

The bold facial composition features exaggerated eyes, pronounced contours, and graphic detailing—hallmarks of Sepik-influenced ritual objects. The surface displays a rich, naturally...

The basin echoes the same decorative rhythm, creating a harmonious ensemble once intended for daily washing rituals before the widespread adoption of indoor plumbing.

The theme of Apollo and Marsyas was a favourite among authors in the 17th and 18th centuries because of its symbolic value, alluding to the struggle between celestial harmony and rea...

The compositions are rich in movement and atmosphere, from the chaos of the Deluge to the ordered ritual of sacrifice and covenant, making this set particularly engaging when display...

Titled "The Potter – Santa Clara," it captures the meticulous polishing of a vessel—a tactile ritual essential to the clay's renowned finish. The work was originally curated as Plate...

Rare Baule Mouse Oracle Box (Gnamien Kpan), Ivory Coast, Mid-20th Century – Carved Wooden Ritual Vessel with Female Guardian Figure A striking and rare example of Baule ritual art fr...

This type of wood was specifically chosen in the Admiralty Islands for large ritual objects requiring strength and durability.

Distinctive blue dragon robes were highly regulated garments, reserved strictly for the emperor during spring and autumn rituals, grand banquets, or official inspection tours, as wel...

Created around the 1850s, it reflects the intimate rituals of daily life in the Romantic era, when personal grooming objects were designed not only for function but also for beauty a...

As smoking became a popular social ritual for both men and women, these strikers became status symbol Country: Paris, France Period: Art-deco, 1925.

The deity is depicted in a meditative seated posture atop a circular lotus base, holding a ritual object, and wearing an ornate crown and layered jewelry

The figure retains distinct traces of original gilding along with areas of deep red lacquer, both indicative of age and ritual use. This is a finely cast, substantial example, notabl...

Ka statues served as a seat for the life force of their owner, who remained alive in them, and they even became involved in rituals through which they gained the ability to breathe, ...

This is a rare opportunity to acquire an intact ritual teaching set of exceptional historical, artistic, and scholarly importance..

The design is arranged in three horizontal registers, each presenting an array of stylized vases, censers, and ritual objects set upon low tables, accompanied by flowering branches a...

Prominent throughout the field are large ornamental vases, jardinières, and ritual-like containers, accompanied by floral sprays, fruits, and abstract implements.

Finials of this type were originally mounted atop reliquaries, stupas, or ritual structures, serving both symbolic and devotional functions.

Using a cross or making the sign of the cross in the Christian baptism ritual was in effect an exorcism, since superstitious Christians believed that was the only way to drive demons...

Often fashioned as amulets or incorporated into funerary rituals, winged scarabs were believed to safeguard the soul and aid its safe passage into the afterlife.

These pistols were designed for precision and balance, reflecting the ritualized nature of dueling culture in 19th-century Europe.

Rare Baule Mouse Oracle Box (Gnamien Kpan), Ivory Coast, Mid-20th Century – Carved Wooden Ritual Vessel with Female Guardian Figure A striking and rare example of Baule ritual art fr...

., 1991, p. 194, cat. no. 23.25 Macklowe Gallery Curator's Notes: An ibis paired with forget-me-nots on a humidor creates a layered symbolic message that ties memory, devotion, and ...

The Bi disc, a symbol of heaven in ancient Chinese culture, is often associated with rituals and ceremonies. This piece showcases detailed engravings, highlighting the artistry and c...

Jewish ceremonial art, also known as Judaica refers to an array of objects used by Jews for ritual purposes. Both for synagogue and for home, because enhancing a mitzvah by performin...

An evocative and functional object of early 19th-century Swedish craftsmanship — equally suited to display in a period interior or to serve once more in the ritual of hospitality. W...

Each element is rendered with geometric precision, combining stepped outlines, linear extensions, and architectural forms that evoke ceremonial objects and ritual implements rooted i...

Historical Context: The Ritual of the Wine Rinser The presence of a coordinated set like this speaks directly to the formalized drinking culture of the Georgian era.

In an age when the taking of tea represented one of the primary rituals of social interaction, the quality of a household's tea service communicated volumes about its status and taste.

Traditionally used in Balinese dance dramas and ritual performances, such masks represent mythological figures, protective spirits, or comedic characters central to temple ceremonies...

The carving is both refined and restrained, with smoothly modeled contours and a quietly powerful presence that speaks to its ritual purpose. The clarity of the crystal is particular...

This sculptural African bronze currency piece forms a powerful circular silhouette, crowned by two elongated, crossing points that meet like a ritual gesture. The surface bears a ric...

The combination of painted wood and metal reflects the Victorian fascination with ornamental yet practical household objects, designed to bring beauty into everyday domestic rituals....

The composition juxtaposes standing draped figures in ritual attire with inset scenes illustrating ceremonial objects and symbolic attributes, including vessels, staffs, wreaths, and...