Antique Thai Naga Temple Finial with a Bell
Located in Chicago, IL
Antique Thai Naga Temple Finial on Stand with a Bell Southeast Asia, Naga is known as the king snake, the ruler of the underworld waterways (the Chinese equivalent is Dragon).
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From Japanese handmade earthenware pottery, originating circa 14,500 B.C. and adorned with elaborate corded patterns known as jōmon, to natural elm case pieces and storage cabinets built in Qing dynasty–era China to mid-century Thai rice-paper charcoal rubbings, antique and vintage Asian art and furniture make for wonderful additions to all kinds of contemporary interiors.
Eastern elements elevate any home’s decor. Introduce zen sensibility to your living room, dining room and bedroom with the neutral color palettes and the natural materials such as rattan, bamboo and elm that we typically associate with traditional Asian furniture. Decorative handwoven embroideries and textiles originating from India and elsewhere on the continent, which can be draped over a bed or sofa or used as a wall hanging, can be as practical as they are functional, just as you wouldn’t seek out Japanese room-divider screens — often decorated with paintings but constructed to be lightweight and mobile — merely for privacy.
With everything from blanket chests to lighting fixtures to sculptures and carvings, it’s easy to tastefully bring serenity to your living space by looking to the treasures for which the East has long been known.
For British-born furniture designer Andrianna Shamaris, the Japanese concept of beauty in imperfection isn’t limited to her Wabi Sabi collection. She embraces it in her New York City apartment as well. In the living area, for instance, she retained the fireplace’s original black marble while swathing its frame and the rest of the room in bright white.
“We left the fireplace very clean and wabi-sabi, so that it blended into the wall,” says Shamaris, who further appointed the space with a hand-carved antique daybed whose plush pillows are upholstered in antique textiles from the Indonesian island of Sumba.
In the growing antique and vintage Asian art and furniture collection on 1stDibs, find ceramics from China, antiquities from Cambodia and a vast range of tables, seating, dining chairs and other items from Japan, India and other countries.
Decorated with white cranes and the sought-after thousand-butterflies motif, the Meiji-period vessel offers both a celebration of traditional aesthetics and a clear reflection of the era’s appetite for exquisite export pieces.
For 25 years, gallerist Betsy Nathan has leveraged her keen eye and key connections to bring a unique selection of rare finds to the market.
Now working alongside his daughter Bianca, dealer Joel Chen has presented a most covetable array of antiques, art and contemporary creations for more than 40 years.
From cherry-blossom-adorned walls paired with glamorous lighting to wood-paneled ceilings above checkerboard-patterned chairs, these 12 spaces seamlessly blend Eastern and Western aesthetics.
The dealer and curator has spent the past 50 years amassing a collection of exceptional art, furniture and architectural elements that trace the cultural influence of the Spanish empire from Europe to the Americas and beyond.
These spaces exemplify how Eastern elements elevate a home's decor.