PAGODA RED Collectibles and Curiosities
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Chinese Fu Dog Stone Snuff Bottle, circa 1900
Located in Chicago, IL
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...
Category
Early 20th Century Chinese Qing More Asian Art, Objects and Furniture
Materials
Stone
Chinese Blue and White Snuff Bottle, circa 1900
Located in Chicago, IL
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...
Category
Early 20th Century Chinese Qing Bottles
Materials
Porcelain
Tibetan Silver Snuff Bottle, circa 1900
Located in Chicago, IL
This early 20th century Tibetan snuff bottle is delightfully ornate, crafted with silver metalwork and encrusted with colorful beads. The small bo...
Category
20th Century Tibetan Qing Metalwork
Materials
Silver
White Agate Chinese Snuff Bottle, c. 1900
Located in Chicago, IL
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...
Category
20th Century Chinese Qing Bottles
Materials
Agate
Chinese Shan Shui Relief Snuff Bottle, c. 1940s
Located in Chicago, IL
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...
Category
Mid-20th Century Chinese Qing Bottles
Materials
Resin
Tibetan Silver Snuff Bottle, circa 1900
Located in Chicago, IL
This early 20th century Tibetan snuff bottle is delightfully ornate, crafted with silver metalwork and encrusted with colorful beads. The small bo...
Category
20th Century Tibetan Tibetan Tobacco Accessories
Materials
Silver
Vintage Art Deco Vanity Set, circa 1930s
Located in Chicago, IL
This charming set of brushes and jars was once used by a well-to-do lady to store her cosmetics and maintain an elegant updo hairstyle. Also known as a toilet service...
Category
Mid-20th Century American Art Deco Historical Memorabilia
Materials
Silver, Enamel
Chinese Carved Stone Snuff Bottle
Located in Chicago, IL
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...
Category
20th Century Chinese Qing Sculptures and Carvings
Materials
Stone
Chinese Fossil Stone Snuff Bottle
Located in Chicago, IL
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-dynasty society, the practice provided an opportunity to display one's refined aesthetic through collectible snuff bottles.
This petite snuff bottle is carved from a conglomerate stone embedded with small fossils...
Category
20th Century Chinese Qing Sculptures and Carvings
Materials
Stone
Chinese Carved Stone Snuff Bottle
Located in Chicago, IL
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...
Category
20th Century Chinese Qing Sculptures and Carvings
Materials
Stone
Pair of Chinese Brass Brazier Tongs, c. 1850
Located in Chicago, IL
In 20 years of collecting, we have never run across a pair of brazier tongs, making this object truly a rare find. Once used by a scholar or wealthy homeowner to place hot coals in a...
Category
Antique Mid-19th Century Chinese Qing Antiquities
Materials
Brass
Pair of Chinese Silk Lotus Slippers, c. 1850
Located in Chicago, IL
These dainty, pointed slippers, made of cotton and silk embroidered with pink flowers, were shaped to resemble a lotus bud and enhanced the diminutive shape of bound feet. A practice that began in the Tang dynasty and reached the height of its popularity in the Qing dynasty, foot binding was a painful process intended to make a woman's feet as small as possible by restricting bone growth from an early age. The smaller the feet the more attractive and erotic they were, giving elite women a mark of elegance and a distinctive - albeit tortured - gait of small, light steps. These silk lotus slippers...
Category
Antique Mid-19th Century Chinese Qing Historical Memorabilia
Materials
Cotton, Silk
Chinese Red Glass Snuff Bottle
Located in Chicago, IL
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...
Category
20th Century Chinese Qing More Asian Art, Objects and Furniture
Materials
Glass
Chinese Longevity Hairpin, c. 1900
Located in Chicago, IL
Although eyes were certainly drawn to the high, fan-shaped headdresses that Qing-dynasty women affixed to back of their heads, it was the finishing touch of a hairpin or two that com...
Category
Antique Late 19th Century Chinese Qing Collectible Jewelry
Materials
Silver
Chinese Double Gourd Hairpin, c. 1900
Located in Chicago, IL
Although eyes were certainly drawn to the high, fan-shaped headdresses that Qing-dynasty women affixed to back of their heads, it was the finishing touch of a hairpin or two that com...
Category
Antique Late 19th Century Chinese Qing Collectible Jewelry
Materials
Silver
Chinese Ruyi Hairpin, c. 1900
Located in Chicago, IL
Although eyes were certainly drawn to the high, fan-shaped headdresses that Qing-dynasty women affixed to back of their heads, it was the finishing touch of a hairpin or two that com...
Category
Antique Late 19th Century Chinese Qing Collectible Jewelry
Materials
Silver
Japanese Tokyo Shop Tabako-Bon
Located in Chicago, IL
This wooden box is a Japanese tabako-bon, or 'tobacco tray,' used to store tobacco and smoking accessories. Believed to have evolved from the traditional ...
Category
Early 20th Century Japanese Taisho Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes
Materials
Brass, Sheet Metal
Chinese Good Fortune Hairpin, c. 1900
Located in Chicago, IL
Although eyes were certainly drawn to the high, fan-shaped headdresses that Qing-dynasty women affixed to back of their heads, it was the finishing touch of a hairpin or two that completed the look. This silver hairpin ends in a round floral medallion framing the decorative Fu (?) character for "good...
Category
Antique Mid-19th Century Chinese Qing Collectible Jewelry
Materials
Silver
Miniature Chinese Etagere Bookcase
Located in Chicago, IL
A full size bookcase with this level of workmanship and detail would be an incredible find, but this beautiful piece of furniture—at only ten inches tall—is perfectly constructed dow...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Qing Models and Miniatures
Materials
Hardwood
Miniature Chinese Etagere Bookcase
Located in Chicago, IL
A full size bookcase with this level of workmanship and detail would be an incredible find, but this beautiful piece of furniture—at only eight inches tall—is perfectly constructed d...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Qing Models and Miniatures
Materials
Hardwood
Miniature Chinese Hardwood Furniture Set
Located in Chicago, IL
This miniature furniture set - at only 6 inches tall - beautifully recreates classic Chinese furniture forms down to the finest of details. Crafted of a beautiful hardwood, prized for its strength and dark color, the set includes a side table and two petite roundback armchairs...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Qing Models and Miniatures
Materials
Hardwood
Chinese Opera Puppet, c. 1900
Located in Chicago, IL
Dressed in fine silks trimmed with embroidered bands and tassels, this puppet brought the glory of the imperial court to the small stage as part of an early 20th-century puppet opera. Complete with songs, acrobatics, farce, and drama, Chinese puppet...
Category
Early 20th Century Chinese Qing Toys and Dolls
Materials
Silk, Wood
Chinese Robed Puppet, c. 1900
Located in Chicago, IL
Hand puppets, like this one from China’s Zhejiang region, have been a popular form of entertainment for centuries. In the late 19th early-20th century this tiny robed gentleman proba...
Category
Early 20th Century Chinese Qing Toys and Dolls
Materials
Silk, Wood
Chinese Painted Bamboo Walking Stick, c. 1850
Located in Chicago, IL
This 19th-century walking stick from northern China is comprised of a length of thin bamboo that has been steamed and bent into a hook shape. The bamboo segments are painted in alter...
Category
Antique Mid-19th Century Chinese Folk Art Historical Memorabilia
Materials
Bamboo
Provincial Chinese Kite Reel, circa 1850
Located in Chicago, IL
This unusually-shaped object is a 19th century Chinese kite reel, cleverly carved to contain small wooden beads that rattle back and forth as the reel is used. A popular past time, kite flying...
Category
Antique Mid-19th Century Chinese Qing Historical Memorabilia
Materials
Wood
Mongolian Horn Libation Cup, circa 1900
Located in Chicago, IL
Used more for social interactions than everyday imbibing, this Mongolian libation cup accompanied a scholar to social gatherings held by literati known as...
Category
Antique Late 19th Century Mongolian Historical Memorabilia
Materials
Horn
Antique Chinese Mooncake Press, c. 1850
Located in Chicago, IL
Dated to the mid-19th century, this rustic wood press is carved with twenty round molds used for shaping festive mooncakes. Packed with lotus root, red bean...
Category
Antique Mid-19th Century Chinese Qing Historical Memorabilia
Materials
Wood
Japanese Spotted Bamboo Tobacco Inro, circa 1850
Located in Chicago, IL
Because traditional Japanese kimono didn't include pockets, men and women carried their belongings in small compartments known as inro. Hung from the obi sash belted around the waist and secured by carved netsuke beads, inro were worn as fashionable accessories and often crafted of fine materials.
Paired with a cylindrical case that once held a thin smoking pipe (kiseru), this 19th century inro was likely used for storing shredded tobacco. Both components are carved from spotted bamboo...
Category
Antique Mid-19th Century Japanese Edo Tobacco Accessories
Materials
Bone, Bamboo, Hardwood
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
Set of Six Chinese Bound-Foot Lotus Slippers, circa 1850
Located in Chicago, IL
Each of these pointed slippers, crafted of beautifully embroidered silk, were shaped to resemble a lotus bud and enhanced the diminutive shape of bound feet. A practice that began in the Tang dynasty and reached the height of its popularity during the Qing dynasty, foot binding was a painful process intended to make a woman's feet as small as possible by restricting bone growth from an early age. The smaller the feet the more attractive and erotic they were, giving elite women a mark of elegance and a distinctive - albeit tortured - gait of small, light steps. These beautifully preserved lotus slippers...
Category
Antique Mid-19th Century Chinese Qing Historical Memorabilia
Materials
Cotton, Silk
Chinese Lilac Lotus Slippers with Plum Blossoms, c. 1850
Located in Chicago, IL
These pointed silk slippers, beautifully embroidered with pink plum blossoms, were shaped to resemble a lotus bud and enhanced the diminutive shape of b...
Category
Antique Mid-19th Century Chinese Qing Historical Memorabilia
Materials
Cotton, Silk
Chinese Black Silk Lotus Slippers with Plum Blossoms, c. 1850
Located in Chicago, IL
These pointed slippers, beautifully embroidered with light blue plum blossoms on black silk, were shaped to resemble a lotus bud and enhanced the diminutive shape of bound feet. A practice that began in the Tang dynasty and reached the height of its popularity during the Qing dynasty, foot binding was a painful process intended to make a woman's feet as small as possible by restricting bone growth from an early age. The smaller the feet the more attractive and erotic they were, giving elite women a mark of elegance and a distinctive - albeit tortured - gait of small, light steps. These beautifully preserved lotus slippers...
Category
Antique Mid-19th Century Chinese Qing Historical Memorabilia
Materials
Silk
Fine Chinese Blue and White Porcelain Spoon, c. 1850
Located in Chicago, IL
A delicate example of the time-honored practice of blue-and-white ceramics, this 19th century porcelain soup spoon was likely used as an everyday ...
Category
Antique Mid-19th Century Chinese Qing Ceramics
Materials
Porcelain
Miniature Chinese Noodle Cabinet
Located in Chicago, IL
A full size cabinet with this level of workmanship would be an incredible find, but this beautiful piece of furniture, at only nine inches tall, is perfectly constructed down to the ...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Models and Miniatures
Materials
Hardwood
Pair Chinese Double Luck Lotus Slippers, c. 1850
Located in Chicago, IL
These pointed silk slippers are beautifully embroidered with colorful bats and golden coins, symbols of happiness and good luck, and were shaped to resemble a lotus bud to enhance one's bound feet. A practice that began in the Tang dynasty and reached the height of its popularity during the Qing dynasty, foot binding was a painful process intended to make a woman's feet as small as possible by restricting bone growth from an early age. The smaller the feet the more attractive and erotic they were, giving elite women a mark of elegance and a distinctive, albeit tortured, gait of small, light steps. These beautifully preserved lotus slippers...
Category
Antique Mid-19th Century Chinese Qing Historical Memorabilia
Materials
Fabric, Silk
Vintage Raven Taxidermy on Root Sculpture
Located in Chicago, IL
This unique sculptural composition beautifully pairs the naturalism of taxidermy with an abstract 19th century Chinese wooden scholars' root. The raven is poised as is mid-caw, ready...
Category
Late 20th Century American Taxidermy
Materials
Wood
Miniature Chinese Hardwood Bookcase
Located in Chicago, IL
A full size bookcase with this level of workmanship and detail would be an incredible find, but this beautiful piece of furniture—at only nine inches tall—is perfectly constructed down to the tiniest minutia. The bookcase was made in northern China out of zitan, a wood prized by furniture makers for its strength and beauty. The joinery...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Chinese Qing Models and Miniatures
Materials
Hardwood
Chinese Charm Token Shoe with Compartment, c. 1850
Located in Chicago, IL
Originally tucked in a pocket as a charm, this tiny shoe was kept close at hand as a talisman for marital happiness. Meticulously carved from wood, the shoe is decorated with a double happiness symbol, the traditional symbol for conjugal bliss. A lovely Valentine’s Day or anniversary gift, the charm has a compartment ready to be filled with a note or small gift...
Category
Antique Mid-19th Century Chinese Qing Sculptures and Carvings
Materials
Pine
African Fulani Currency Bracelet, c. 1900
Located in Chicago, IL
Characterized by its open shape capped with geometric ends, this bracelet is but one form of the many types of body adornments favored the Fulani people of West Africa. The thick des...
Category
Early 20th Century Nigerien Tribal Collectible Jewelry
Materials
Brass
Chinese Shanghai Deco Perfume Bottle
Located in Chicago, IL
In the 1920s and 1930s, Shanghai, China was swept up in the Art Deco design movement. Design, architecture, art, fashion, and furniture were all influenced by this modern movement, permeating every part of life in the bustling, vibrant city. This blue glass perfume bottle...
Category
Early 20th Century Chinese Art Deco Historical Memorabilia
Materials
Glass
Chinese Eighteen Luohan Walnut Shell Snuff Bottle, c. 1900
Located in Chicago, IL
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...
Category
Early 20th Century Chinese Qing Scholar's Objects
Materials
Plastic, Walnut
Chinese Double Gourd "Root" Amber Snuff Bottle, c. 1900
Located in Chicago, IL
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...
Category
Early 20th Century Chinese Qing Scholar's Objects
Materials
Other
Chinese Handheld Ink Block, c. 1900
Located in Chicago, IL
Chinese innovations in ink, block printing and movable type fed the technological push toward expanding the written word's range of influence throughout the world. This printing push...
Category
Early 20th Century Chinese Qing Historical Memorabilia
Materials
Elm
Chinese Miniature Noodle Cabinet, c. 1850
Located in Chicago, IL
A treasure of a chest, this charming miniature cabinet is named for the narrow, rounded molding that surrounds the frame and resembles noodles. Lacquered rich red, the small cabinet exhibits the same high level of craftsmanship found in larger such cabinets made in the Qing dynasty with exquisitely painted floral decorations and handcrafted hardware. The cabinet opens to a single shelf, making it just the place to stow jewelry...
Category
Antique Mid-19th Century Chinese Qing Jewelry Boxes
Materials
Brass
Chinese Silk Skull Cap with Gilt Lacquered Box, c. 1850
Located in Chicago, IL
No self-respecting man in Qing-dynasty China would leave the house without some kind of hat. In fact, headgear was so central to social status that a boy’s passage into manhood was m...
Category
Antique Mid-19th Century Chinese Qing Historical Memorabilia
Materials
Silk, Cane, Wood, Lacquer
Senufo Locking Currency Bracelet, c. 1850
Located in Chicago, IL
Time honored texture and form define this Senufo sculptural object. The abstract etchings were achieved through a process known as scarification. The artisan meticulously traced and ...
Category
Antique Mid-19th Century Ivorian Tribal Art
Materials
Copper
Antique Indonesian Mechanical Drill, c. 1900
Located in Chicago, IL
Long ago, an Indonesian artisan living on Lombok, an island well known for its weaving, made his living using this handsome hand-crafted drill. The antique tool is beautifully constr...
Category
Early 20th Century Indonesian Mounted Objects
Materials
Copper, Iron
Chinese Calligraphy Brush, c. 1900
Located in Chicago, IL
Along with paper, ink, and inkstone, the brush was part of the four treasures found in a scholar’s studio. Arguably the most important tool, the brush served as a direct link to the ...
Category
Early 20th Century Chinese Qing Scholar's Objects
Materials
Wood
Chinese Mustard Jade Archer's Ring, c. 1850
Located in Chicago, IL
Hand-carved of the highest quality jade, this 19th century Archer's ring was likely worn by a gentleman-scholar in Northern China. Traditionally, Chinese archers wore these rings to ...
Category
Antique Mid-19th Century Chinese Qing Collectible Jewelry
Materials
Jade, Sterling Silver
Nigerian Mofu Patterned Metal Shield, c. 1850
Located in Chicago, IL
The Mofu tribe of Nigeria was particularly famed for their metal shields. Expertly forged, the defenses provided by metal far outstripped the wood and ree...
Category
Antique Mid-19th Century Nigerian Tribal Wall-mounted Sculptures
Materials
Metal
