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Chinese Blue and White Rice Bowl, circa 1900
Located in Chicago, IL
This late 19th century footed bowl would have been offered by Chinese traders traveling along the Silk Road in exchange for spices or gems. The Chinese a...
Category
Early 20th Century Chinese Qing Decorative Bowls
Materials
Porcelain
Provincial Chinese Fan Stool, circa 1900
Located in Chicago, IL
This late 19th century stool from China's Hebei province charms with its simple form and smoothed texture. The fan-shaped seat is supported by splayed legs bolstered by simple stretc...
Category
Antique Late 19th Century Chinese Qing Stools
Materials
Elm
"Sharing" Painting by Yoko Tanaka
By Yoko Tanaka
Located in Chicago, IL
Trained first as a photographer and then as an illustrator, Yoko Tanaka takes a look at life’s quieter moments in her paintings. She chooses a limited palette of soft, smoky tones th...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Contemporary Art
Materials
Wood
Chinese Four Seasons Altar Table, circa 1850
Located in Chicago, IL
This grand table from China's Shanxi province was originally used in a Qing-dynasty household as an impressive domestic altar for ancestor worship. Designed to be the centerpiece of ...
Category
Antique Mid-19th Century Chinese Qing Furniture
Materials
Elm
"Xi Shitoupo Xiang, Pingyao, Shanxi Province" Photograph by Sze Tsung Leong
By Sze Tsung Leong
Located in Chicago, IL
This evocative photograph is part of a series created by artist Sze Tsung Nicolas Leong that explore China’s complicated relationship with its ancient past and anticipated future. In this 2004 photograph, 100-year-old buildings line a vacant street in the old walled city...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Photography
Materials
Paper
Chinese Wooden Block Printing Set, circa 1900
Located in Chicago, IL
Chinese innovations in ink, block printing, and movable type fueled global advancements in printing technology, expanding the range of influence of the written word. These printing innovations can be attributed to Chinese Buddhist devotees, who embraced woodblock printing as an important vehicle to spread sutras and good spirits.
Though the printing press is said to have been invented in China, it never offered the same efficiencies to Chinese culture as it did in the West, due to the near endless numbers of Chinese characters and the labor involved in manipulating them.
Enclosed in a contemporary wooden frame, each of the miniature wood blocks included in this early 20th-century type set was hand-carved with a Chinese character. Each is a unique and wonderful curiosity, providing an unusual look at a moment in time.
Each set contains approximately 70 individual tiles.
Category
Antique Late 19th Century Chinese Qing Historical Memorabilia
Materials
Wood
Chinese Table Screen with Soapstone Panel, circa 1850
Located in Chicago, IL
Prevalent in fine Chinese interiors as early as the Tang dynasty (618-906), standing screens with decorative stone panels served numerous functions as portable architecture. Used to ...
Category
Antique Mid-19th Century Chinese Qing Paintings and Screens
Materials
Soapstone
Geometric Ashanti African Stool
Located in Chicago, IL
An indicator of status and family, stools play an integral role in traditional Ashanti culture. Believed to be the resting place for a person's soul, a stool is given to a child when they first learn to crawl and used in personal milestones throughout the rest of their life.
Carved from a solid block of wood, each stool has a rectangular base and a distinctive curved seat supported by a central column and four corner posts. While some ceremonial stools are carved to convey particular proverbs, this stool is simply decorated with scalloped edges, geometric patterns, and a small cross. The combination of shapes and curved lines makes this Ashanti stool...
Category
Early 20th Century Ghanaian Tribal Stools
Materials
Wood
Chinese White Glazed Tea Leaf Jar
Located in Chicago, IL
Rendered in a striking cool white glaze, this contemporary porcelain jar offers a modern take on a Classic form. Lidded jars like these were used in tea shops in China, where tea dri...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Minimalist Jars
Materials
Ceramic
Japanese Gilt Seated Kannon Figure, circa 1850
Located in Chicago, IL
Intricately carved and finished with gilt black lacquer, this seated figure depicts the bodhisattva Guanyin, known in Japanese Buddhism as Kannon. Described as the "Buddha of Infinite Compassion," Kannon is the embodiment of mercy and makes himself available to all who call upon him with all their mind.
Kannon is depicted here seated in diamond position upon a double lotus plinth, set above a stepped base. He is dressed in gracefully draped robes and wears a tall crown bearing a minuscule figure of Amida, the Buddha of Infinite Light. He has a serene expression of calm and holds his right hand in the abhaya mudra, a gesture of comfort, blessing, and protection. Backed by a magnificent leaf-form nimbus, this Kannon figure...
Category
Antique Mid-19th Century Japanese Edo Sculptures and Carvings
Materials
Wood, Lacquer
Tibetan Red Lacquer Cymbal Case Lid, circa 1850
Located in Chicago, IL
Ornately patterned and framed with brass fittings, this box lid dates to the 19th century originally enclosed a pair of large Tibetan cymbals. Used in processions and dance performances, cymbals provided percussive backing to wind instruments...
Category
Antique 19th Century Tibetan Tibetan Historical Memorabilia
Materials
Brass
Chinese Split Bamboo Headrest, circa 1900
Located in Chicago, IL
Crafted from lengths of split bamboo, this headrest enabled contour comfort, quite luxurious for 19th century, China. Lightweight and low-profile, it was the perfect accessory for a ...
Category
Early 20th Century Chinese Qing Antiquities
Materials
Bamboo
Chinese Northern Qi Equestrian Figure
Located in Chicago, IL
This dignified equestrian is a soldier from the Northern Qi dynasty, and was sculpted in Shandong province over 1,500 years ago as a míngqì burial figure f...
Category
Antique 15th Century and Earlier Chinese Ceramics
Materials
Ceramic
Chinese Blue and White Tea Leaf Jar
Located in Chicago, IL
Designed to store tea leaves, this jar is nonetheless a stunning example of blue and white porcelain. Surrounded by peonies and chrysanthemum blossoms, two phoenixes sit perched upon...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Ceramics
Materials
Porcelain
Chinese Scholars' Display Shelf, c. 1850
Located in Chicago, IL
Collecting was a popular pastime for well-to-do Ming and Qing dynasty gentleman, and a shelf like this one would have been an ideal place to display jades, curios, porcelain, and col...
Category
Antique Mid-19th Century Chinese Qing Shelves
Materials
Elm
Chinese Roundback Chair, circa 1850
Located in Chicago, IL
Prior to the 10th century, Chinese society eschewed raised seats in favor of mats. The rising popularity of chairs and other forms of elevated seating led craftsmen to adapt traditional cabinetry and architecture techniques to the human body. In the case of this Yuanyi, or round chair, the flowing crestrail is a direct descendant of the simple armrests that had traditionally supported individuals on mats in their homes. This homage to an ancestral form, combined with traditional mortise-and-Tenon joinery techniques, created an elegant, functional chair that has endured for centuries and inspired many contemporary furniture designers...
Category
Antique Mid-19th Century Chinese Qing Furniture
Materials
Willow
Ming Dynasty Chinese Mural Painting of Buddha Flanked by Attendants
Located in Chicago, IL
This rare mural was painted in China over four centuries ago, and is an exquisite example of Buddhist art. The enlightened Buddha is shown standing at the center of the painting, dre...
Category
Antique 17th Century Chinese Ming Paintings and Screens
Materials
Wood
Chinese Blue and White Peacock Fantail Vase
Located in Chicago, IL
Standing amidst mountains, clouds, and foliage, a regal peacock surveys its domain. Revered as an emblem of beauty and dignity, the peacock's handsome tail feathers were used to desi...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Ceramics
Materials
Porcelain
Pair of Chinese Red Lacquer Cabinets with Poetic Pairings, circa 1900
Located in Chicago, IL
Set within a simple black lacquer frame, the three drawers of these early 20th century upright cabinets are brilliantly colored with rich red lacquer t...
Category
Early 20th Century Chinese Qing Furniture
Materials
Elm
Chinese Plank Top Ruyi Altar Table, circa 1800
Located in Chicago, IL
This monumental early 19th century flanked top altar table from China's Shanxi province is notable for its robust traditional style. The top is carved from a solid plank of elmwood t...
Category
Antique Early 19th Century Chinese Qing Furniture
Materials
Elm
"Study for SWEEPS" by Jan Pieter Fokkens
By Jan Pieter Fokkens
Located in Chicago, IL
Inspired by images of deep space, computer compression algorithms, and early non-representational art, Chicago-based artist Jan Pieter Fokkens uses the tangible qualities of pattern and color to interpret unimaginable sights.
Entitled "Study for SWEEPS," this work offers a representation of the Sagittarius Window Eclipsing Extrasolar Planet Search, Hubble’s seven-day-long survey of 180,000 stars in order to detect extrasolar planets. Using data from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Contemporary Art
Materials
Paper
Chinese Art Deco Persimmon Vase with White Cranes, circa 1920s
Located in Chicago, IL
Drawing on the enduring phoenix tail form that dates to China’s Bronze Age, this porcelain vase from the 1920s exhibits the sinuous lines and gilded refinement that helped to define ...
Category
Vintage 1920s Chinese Art Deco Ceramics
Materials
Porcelain
Chinese Art Deco Persimmon Vase with White Cranes, circa 1920s
Located in Chicago, IL
Drawing on the enduring phoenix tail form that dates to China’s Bronze Age, this porcelain vase from the 1920s exhibits the sinuous lines and gilded refinement that helped to define ...
Category
Vintage 1920s Chinese Art Deco Ceramics
Materials
Porcelain
Chinese Art Deco Persimmon Vase with White Cranes, circa 1920s
Located in Chicago, IL
Drawing on the enduring phoenix tail form that dates to China’s Bronze Age, this porcelain vase from the 1920s exhibits the sinuous lines and gilded refinement that helped to define ...
Category
Vintage 1920s Chinese Art Deco Ceramics
Materials
Porcelain
Chinese Comb Back Children's Chair with Umbrella Notch, circa 1800
Located in Chicago, IL
Every so often we come across a rare piece of furniture that, even after centuries have passed, still evokes the life and personality of the original owner. Over 200 years ago this c...
Category
Antique Early 19th Century Chinese Qing Children's Furniture
Materials
Elm
Tall Citron Yellow Baluster Jar
Located in Chicago, IL
This contemporary take on the traditional baluster jar puts all the focus on its timeless silhouette. Characterized by its high shoulders, flared base and domed lid, the elegant balu...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Modern Jars
Materials
Porcelain
"Poets in the Garden" Chinese Blue and White Vase, circa 1900
Located in Chicago, IL
One of the primary functions of the Chinese garden was to provide a setting for literary gatherings, places where poets and scholars convened with nature and commemorated the affair ...
Category
Early 20th Century Chinese Qing Ceramics
Materials
Porcelain
White Glazed Bottleneck Vase
Located in Chicago, IL
Drawing on a long Chinese tradition of ceramics, this striking long-necked vase is cloaked in an all-over milky white glaze. Sculpted by artisans in China's Zhejiang province, the la...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Minimalist Ceramics
Materials
Porcelain
Chinese Sword Leg Offering Table, circa 1800
Located in Chicago, IL
This 19th century table is styled with lyrical lines and classical proportions. It is easily identified by its arched and curved apron and the beautifully balanced abstract sword sha...
Category
Antique Early 19th Century Chinese Qing Console Tables
Materials
Elm
Chinese Generous Square Stool with Cane Seat, circa 1900
Located in Chicago, IL
Lightweight and portable, stools were popular in Qing dynasty homes for their simplicity and convenience. This elegantly proportioned stool features an inset handwoven seat, providin...
Category
Early 20th Century Chinese Qing Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Materials
Cane, Elm
Chinese Smoky Black Clay Basin, circa 1900
Located in Chicago, IL
Sculpted in the early 20th century in southern China, this charcoal-black basin has a darkened exterior and bears the smoky traces of its fiery creation on...
Category
Early 20th Century Chinese Qing Planters, Cachepots and Jardinières
Materials
Clay
Chinese Bamboo Folding Hat Stand, circa 1850
Located in Chicago, IL
In 19th century China, government officials wore different hats to show their various ranks of office, the styles and designs changed depending on the season. This one-of-a-kind fold...
Category
Antique Mid-19th Century Chinese Qing Hat Racks and Stands
Materials
Bamboo
Art Deco Extendable Dining Table, c. 1940
Located in Chicago, IL
In the 1920s-1930s, the world was swept up in the Art Deco movement, permeating every area of design, from architecture and art to fashion and furniture. This stylized dining table was built in the 1940s, in the popular Art...
Category
Vintage 1940s Art Deco Dining Room Tables
Materials
Lacquer, Wood
"Study for Event Horizon" by Jan Pieter Fokkens
By Jan Pieter Fokkens
Located in Chicago, IL
Inspired by images of deep space, computer compression algorithms, and early non-representational art, Chicago-based artist Jan Pieter Fokkens uses the tangible qualities of pattern ...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Contemporary Art
Materials
Paper
Grand Chinese Qing Dynasty Village Bell, circa 1800
Located in Chicago, IL
This lovely Qing-dynasty bell once pealed in a Chinese village, sounding out in celebration or giving notice of important events. Expertly forged, the cast-iron bell is detailed with characters in intricate relief, and its exaggerated scallop rim is traced with oversized rivets. Frosted with snow or lit from within by flickering candles, this sculptural bell takes on a magical presence in the winter...
Category
Antique Early 19th Century Chinese Qing Garden Ornaments
Materials
Iron
Chinese Buddha Belly Bamboo Pipe, circa 1900
Located in Chicago, IL
This unusually sinuous length of bamboo is known as "Buddha belly bamboo," named for each segment's resemblance to the ample gut of the Chinese mon...
Category
Early 20th Century Chinese Qing Mounted Objects
Materials
Bamboo
Vintage Chinese Cast Iron Chrysanthemum Mortar
Located in Chicago, IL
This vintage iron mortar from China's Shanxi province was cast in low relief with a delicate chrysanthemum in bloom. Originally used in a traditional apothecary to create herbal medi...
Category
Mid-20th Century Chinese Rustic Metalwork
Materials
Iron
Vintage Chinese Floral Cast Iron Mortar
Located in Chicago, IL
This vintage cast iron mortar from China's Shanxi province is patterned in low relief with a simple floral design. Originally used in a traditional ap...
Category
Mid-20th Century Chinese Rustic Metalwork
Materials
Iron
Chinese Etched Limestone Trough, c. 1800
Located in Chicago, IL
Prized mounts once took refreshment from this stone trough, carved from a solid block of limestone more than hundred years ago. Once purely functional, the trough is celebrated today...
Category
Antique Early 19th Century Chinese Qing Planters and Jardinieres
Materials
Limestone
Framed Chinese Ancestor Portrait, circa 1900
Located in Chicago, IL
This intricately detailed composition is a late-Qing dynasty ancestor portrait depicting several generations of a family's male ancestry. Or...
Category
Early 20th Century Chinese Qing Paintings and Screens
Materials
Silk
Vintage Chinese Floral Cast Iron Mortar
Located in Chicago, IL
This vintage cast iron mortar from China's Shanxi province is patterned in low relief with a simple floral design. Originally used in a traditional ap...
Category
Mid-20th Century Chinese Rustic Metalwork
Materials
Iron
"Tree Talk" by Ren Hui
By Ren Hui
Located in Chicago, IL
Entitled "Tree Talk," this exquisite painting by Chinese artist Ren Hui celebrates the beauty of nature with an abstracted view of a tangle of tree branches. Using a style he calls “...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Modern Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Paint
Chinese Bent Handle Fisherman's Basket, circa 1900
Located in Chicago, IL
Basket making is an ancient and humble craft, but in the hands of a skilled weaver a simple willow basket becomes a truly beautiful statement. The artisan’s mastery is evident in thi...
Category
Early 20th Century Chinese Rustic Decorative Baskets
Materials
Willow
Pair of Chinese Ming Painted Compound Cabinets, c. 1600
Located in Chicago, IL
Seamlessly constructed and lacquered black, this pair of spectacular Ming-dynasty compound cabinets provided the perfect blank canvas for painted scen...
Category
Antique Early 17th Century Chinese Ming Furniture
Materials
Brass
Chinese Art Deco Dining Chair, circa 1920-1930s
Located in Chicago, IL
Made in the 1920s to satisfy the worldwide hunger for all things Art Deco, this unique chair combines the streamlined style of the era with a classic Chinese aesthetic. The beautiful...
Category
Vintage 1920s Chinese Art Deco Dining Room Chairs
Materials
Wool, Hardwood
Pair of Colorful Japanese Suiting Pillows
Located in Chicago, IL
The Jazz Age of Japan, the Taisho era (1912-1926), was characterized by exuberance and an embrace of Western style. Young people eagerly adopted Western dress...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Japanese Pillows and Throws
Materials
Cotton, Linen, Silk, Down, Wool
Pair of Chinese Art Deco Dining Chairs, circa 1920-1930s
Located in Chicago, IL
Made in the 1920s to satisfy the worldwide hunger for all things Art Deco, these unique chairs combine the streamlined style of the era with a Classic Chinese aesthetic. The beautifu...
Category
Vintage 1920s Chinese Art Deco Dining Room Chairs
Materials
Wool, Hardwood
Chinese Floral Cast Iron Mortar
Located in Chicago, IL
Cast in iron with a raised floral design, this vintage mortar was once used in a traditional apothecary to create herbal medicines. Beautifully aged with a rich patina, the footed mo...
Category
Mid-20th Century Chinese Planters, Cachepots and Jardinières
Materials
Iron
Chinese Dried Gourd Noodle Strainer, circa 1850
Located in Chicago, IL
Due to their many seeds, gourds are traditionally perceived as auspicious symbols of good fortune and perpetuity. When dried, gourds became durable natural vessels used as ladles, fl...
Category
Antique Mid-19th Century Chinese Qing Mounted Objects
Materials
Organic Material
Thai Gilt Bronze Seated Buddha, c. 1850
Located in Chicago, IL
Once ornately gilt, this serene bronze seated Buddha was created in Thailand in the mid-19th century. Cast in the older Sukhothai style, the Buddha bears a uniquely Thai flame-like s...
Category
Antique Mid-19th Century Thai Metalwork
Materials
Bronze
Chinese Floral Apothecary Mortar, circa 1900
Located in Chicago, IL
This vintage mortar and pestle from Shanxi, China was cast in iron with a floral relief. It was originally used in a traditional apothecary t...
Category
Early 20th Century Chinese Qing Metalwork
Materials
Iron
Chinese Lacquered Money Chest, circa 1850
Located in Chicago, IL
Secured by brass latches, this elmwood money chest once safeguarded the finances and prized possessions of a Qing-dynasty household. Unlocked, the hinged t...
Category
Antique Mid-19th Century Chinese Qing Side Tables
Materials
Brass
Narrow Chinese Blackwood Lantern, circa 1900
Located in Chicago, IL
Framed in blackwood, this 19th century square lantern casts a soft glow through frosted glass. Displaying the refined simplicity found in furniture of the same era, the lantern illum...
Category
Early 20th Century Chinese Qing Lanterns
Materials
Hardwood, Glass
Moroso Fjord Relax Armchair in Black Leather
By Moroso, Patricia Urquiola
Located in Chicago, IL
Designed in 2002 by Spanish architect Patricia Urquiola for Italian manufacturer Moroso, the Fjord Relax armchair is an homage to the Classic Jacobsen e...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary European Scandinavian Modern Swivel Chairs
Materials
Steel
Chinese Eight Immortals Square Table with Stone Top, circa 1800
Located in Chicago, IL
Called an "eight immortals" table, this early 19th century square table was designed to seat eight people, with a bench for two on each side....
Category
Antique Early 19th Century Chinese Qing Center Tables
Materials
Stone
Pair of Chinese Bronze Shih So Vases, circa 1800
Located in Chicago, IL
With a flaring lip and striking profile, connoisseurs often refer to these exquisite vases as “turnip-shaped”. Each was crafted out of bronze over two centuries ago, and is decorated...
Category
Antique Early 19th Century Chinese Qing Metalwork
Materials
Silver, Bronze
Adjustable Chinese Console Table, circa 1850
Located in Chicago, IL
This petite 19th century console table crafted in China's Shanxi province is the perfect example of Qing-dynasty ideals of scholarship and craftsmanship. Though its clean lines and r...
Category
Antique Mid-19th Century Chinese Qing Console Tables
Materials
Elm
Chinese Squared Zhenzhu Stone Basin
Located in Chicago, IL
A clean-lined interpretation of an ancient form, this stone basin was hand carved with a rounded interior within finely edged square form. The basin looks meticulously painted, but t...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Organic Modern Decorative Dishes a...
Materials
Stone
Pair of Chinese Low Inset Leg Tables, c. 1850
Located in Chicago, IL
This pair of low tables would have once flanked a platform bed in the intimate living space of a traditional Qing-dynasty home. Perfectly proportioned, they are quintessential exampl...
Category
Antique Mid-19th Century Chinese Qing Side Tables
Materials
Elm
Cloud White Double Bottleneck Vase
Located in Chicago, IL
A simple and modern shape defines these bottleneck vases, known as such because of their shorter necks. This charming vase, updates the Classic bottleneck design with a more graphic,...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Minimalist Vases
Materials
Porcelain
Read More
A Pair of Monumental Stone Tigers Protect and Guide Wandering Souls
The Qing dynasty beasts honored the dead and warned off malicious spirits.
Chicago’s Pagoda Red Has a Spirited Mix of Asian Antiques and Bold New Art
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.