Scholar's Objects

For centuries, the suanpan, or Chinese abacus, served as one of the world's most sophisticated calculating devices. Long before the arrival of electronic calculators, merchants, scho...

Antique Chinese Cameo Agate Snuff Bottle, 19th century. The stone of a cloudy translucent color and caramel skin on the front side carved in high relief creating a cameo effect of a ...

This is a large Furuya-ishi suiseki stone, a type of stone that has long been appreciated in Japan. Suiseki is a Japanese culture of appreciating natur...

A magnificent and unusually large matched pair of vintage Chinese structural seal blanks (chops), masterfully carved from substantial blocks of natural mottled red and sage-green soapstone. Standing at an impressive 7 ¼ inches tall with a robust 2-inch square profile, each monumental block is topped by a meticulously detailed, deeply pierced high-relief carving of horses interacting across an architectural mountain landscape. Together, the pair forms the complete, highly auspicious "Eight Horses of King Mu" (Ma Dao Cheng Gong) motif, a traditional Chinese symbol of rapid success, vitality, and career advancement. The long vertical side panels and square bases remain entirely smooth, unengraved, and free of cinnabar ink, highlighting the pristine, untouched nature of the stone. Beautifully balanced with an excellent structural heft, this pair serves flawlessly as premium library bookends or standalone desk sculptures for a curated interior. Excellent vintage condition with no cracks, no chips, and completely free of any restoration or repairs. The natural soft mineral surfaces are beautifully preserved, with pristine, sharp geometric edges on the uncarved base blocks. Note:With their substantial 7-inch presence and bold oxblood palette, this matching pair serves as the perfect sculptural punctuation mark for a lacquered library étagère, an executive desk, or flanking a collection of rare art books...

Stunning Pair of early Meiji period Satsuma heavy gauge earthenware Rouleau Japanese Vases of Museum quality and generous proportions. These beautiful Satsuma-ware vases were made du...

A set of 3 beautiful porcelain handle Chinese calligraphy brushes. The handles with hand painted round and oval porcelain balls of longevity motifs and basketweave, in classic, timeless blue and white...

This is an antique gentleman's writing slope. An English, burr walnut and leather correspondence box, dating to the mid Victorian period, circa 1850. Delightful craftsmanship with ...

An exquisitely hand carved bone Chinese dignitary standing figure portraying a lavishly dressed bearded male. Difficult to date, in our opinion last quarter of the 19th century. ...

This is an old Japanese stone object. This stone object has a beautiful black and beige gradation. An art object that gives you a sense of wabi-s...

This is an old vermilion suiseki from Japan. Not only in China but also in Japan, rocks from mountains have been quarried and shaped for appreciation since ancient times. These deco...

Rare find!: 24 feet long Zen monk Mala Prayer Bead String plus original wooden alms bowl with its original attached triangular shaped stone ojime. A huge...

A Chinese Inside-painted Glass Snuff bottle with Silver Metal, Early 20th Century Description: The scene depicted is a version of the famous classical Chinese painting "Along the Ri...

Antique Chinese Agate Sleeve Snuff Bottle, exceptionally carved with great precision, a flat spade shape, narrow concave base, flared neck, concave mouth rim, narrow mouth, all of an...

Our calligraphy brush stands are made of solid wenge wood, a prized, sustainable, exotic wood with beautiful grains. Top of the stands are deco...

An incredibly rare 18th Century monumental palace size Ottoman Islamic astrolabe on an easel stand, Turkey, circa 1720. This rare palace size Astrola...

Along with paper, ink and inkstone, the brush is one of the Four Treasures of the scholar’s studio. Arguably the most important tool, the brush served as a direct link to the artist’...

A good antique Early 19th Century Southeast Asian Bronze Buddha statue, Circa 1800. The Buddha seated upon a triangular shaped base with lotus decoration, the Buddha's hands posed i...

This is a very good Chinese cameo or overlay glass snuff bottle, which we date to circa 1920s. These overlay glass cameo snuff bottles are very decora...

A Chinese scholar stone in an upright mushroom form displayed on a custom wood stand. Wonderful and well-balanced, the ocher and cream color stone is likely of the Taihu type. It sho...

Antique Chinese Chalcedony “Peanut and Jujube” Snuff Bottle, Qing Dynasty. The large pear shaped striated stone carving of a caramel colored jujube fruit (Chinese date) and two beige...

A fine Chinese scholar's stone. Made of nephrite jade from the Hotan (Hetian) region of China. Scholar's rocks (gongshi, 供石) are naturally occuring rocks that are appreciated for t...

This calligraphy brush is distinguished by its faux turquoise handle. Hand cut and polished, exhibiting a beautiful turquoise color with naturalistic black veining, very much approxi...

A rare and refined Meiji-period walking cane clad in spiraled ray skin (shagreen), polished and finished in traditional black lacquer. The lacquered shagreen surface reveals the unde...

Our calligraphy brush stands are made of solid wenge wood, a prized, sustainable, exotic wood with beautiful grains. Top of the stands are deco...

Old Korean garment brush used for hemp textile as scarce exposed type without covered grip, early 20th century, approx. L 24cm (9.44in), in used conditio...

A fine pair of antique Chinese Qing dynasty ( 1644-1911) hand carved jade table screens, circa 1850. The rectangular screens are made of variegated s...

This is a museum quality book form Grand Tour plaster intaglio case, Circa 1820 in date. The intaglios are encased in a red leather gilt tooled binding titled 'L. FERRARIS BIBLIOTH...

This is a stone mined in Japan. Measure: w 22cm. Not only in China but also in Japan from ancient times, rocks in the mountains have been shaved and stones for viewing have been qua...

Antique 19th century Chinese carved gold gilt and painted wood wall panel or plaque with scholar and warrior figures scene. Signed on back as p...

SUISEKI, KAMUY KOTAN STONE – Kamuy kotan stone from the canyon called ‘Kamuy-kotan’ (‘Whereabouts of God’ in the Ainu language) in the western part of Asahikawa city in Hokkaido, Jap...

This is a stone mined in Japan. Not only in China but also in Japan from ancient times, rocks in the mountains have been shaved and stones for viewing have been quarried. Such stone...

Antique Thailand sutra bamboo/palm leave book, 1873. There are about 48 pages and are written on double sides with lots of writing. The following handwriting on the Lacquer reads: ...

A mixture of finely powdered tobacco, herbs, and spices, snuff was introduced to China in the 17th century by Western diplomats. Initially reserved for ranking members of Qing-dynast...

A finely carved zitan wood display stand in the form of a round table, China, Republic Period, mid 20th century. The circular display stand carved from rare and precious zitan wood. Fashioned as a classical Chinese round table...

This remarkable glass snuff bottle, crafted by the esteemed artist Ya Qing in the spring of 2009, is a masterful example of inside painting. The bottle showcases...

A superb Chinese yellow and russet nephrite jade carving of a mythical beast, Ming Dynasty (1368 to 1644) or earlier, China The mythical beast is portrayed with feline features, i...

This rare 29" long calligraphy brush features a beautiful handle made from Buddha's Belly Bamboo, a prized variety known as Bamboo Ventricosa. Revered for its unique bulging form, th...

This enormous figural fountain pen store display is unsigned, but presumed to have been made by the Waterman Co. of France in approximately 1965 and d...

Vintage hand-carved soapstone seal - mythical beast to the top - original presentation/padded fabric covered box - signed - China - mid 20th century. E...

A Chinese Glass Snuff Bottle, 20th Century Dimension: Height: 9 cm Diameter: 9 cm. Provenance: Private Western Australian Collection.

Antique Chinese Crystal Agate Snuff Bottle. This bottle is in a a stout rounded form, with countersunk base, short thick neck, concave lip with a sharp edge and narrow mouth, in a we...

An exquisite late Qing dynasty display Stand of longyan wood, carved as a miniature "kang" table. The center panel features an amazing grain that delights the eye, while a soft glo...

A Spinach Jade Snuff Bottle, Qing Dynasty. The flattened ovoid form symmetrically rendered from a waxy spinach green speckled nephrite stone having a high shoulder and short stout ro...

A rare and authentic vintage Gucci document case crafted in rich tan leather, featuring the house’s iconic green and red web stripe across the front. This classic folio-style piece e...

Large Chinese export carved soapstone foo dog scholars seal, nicely carved, in two color soapstone, with large seal at base. The inscription reads: ...

Fine antique Chinese Qing Dynasty silvered golden copper alloy snuff bottle of hulu double gourd form, inset with 4x carved five petal white jade p...

A fantastic Chinese scholar's stone, called gongshi, of gray lingbi limestone, mounted on a hardwood stand, late Qing or early Republic, early 20th century, circa 1910, China . The ...

One of a kind, extra large, rare blue serpentine gemstone brush in bamboo form with carved bamboo leaves. Serpentine is a beautiful stone highly valued for its similarity to nephrite...

A remarkable straits Chinese (also known as Peranakan or Nyonya) carved hardwood and bamboo inlaid and embellished table-form stand, originally for dis...

Along with paper, ink and inkstone, the brush is one of the Four Treasures of the scholar’s studio. Arguably the most important tool, the brush served as a direct link to the artist’...

A visually arresting tall vertical scholar stone of Lingbi type balanced on a fitted wood base. The rock formation features an elegant slender form of highly sculptural surface with ...

A mixture of finely powdered tobacco, herbs, and spices, snuff was introduced to China in the 17th century by Western diplomats. Initially reserved for ranking members of Qing-dynast...

‘Kamuy kotan seki’ (Kamuy kotan stone) from the canyon called ‘Kamuy-kotan’ (‘Whereabouts of God’ in the Ainu language) in the western part of Asahikawa city in Hokkaido, Japan. Quite a unique abstractive blackness as the God (‘Kamuy’=’Kami’) with no processing by human hands, except attached with a wooden stand (undetachable) as such a calm and sacred piece of Art of Japanese ‘Suiseki...

This is a stone mined in Japan. Not only in China but also in Japan from ancient times, rocks in the mountains have been shaved and stones for viewing have been quarried. Such stones for appreciation are collectively called "suiseki". Suiseki means "water" and "stone". The name comes from the fact that I enjoyed pouring water on the stones and changing the color of the stones. And this item is also Suiseki, but it is for viewing without splashing water. It is made with the image of a mountain view. The flow of the river...

This is collected from rivers and mountains. It is a natural stone, and only the surface has been polished. It is rounded, so I think it was probably picked up from a river. I think...

Chinese cricket cage with cloisonne enameled decoration and applied dragon heads. Of unusual form with two tiers of cages each with their own slid...

Cute suiteki (water dropper) in cast bronze in the shape of a rabbit (or hare) with a gorgeous brown patina, represented with one of its two ears standing. The suiteki is a small con...

Amazing vintage glass vase. Displays a back a red glass exterior with an orange interior.

19th century or earlier, Sri Lankan rice paper prayer book tied with wooden binding. Beautiful Objet d'Art with prayers written in beautiful Sinhalese script. Can be separated and...

A stunning carved and pierced Chinese jade vase, Qing Dynasty, 19th century. The vase is carved with a design of birds, flowers and trees, each rife ...