Antique Chinese Multi-Lobed Opium Box in Silver, Decorated with Reliefs with Ide

Opium smokers used opium lamps to make the vaping and inhaling of the opium easier. These lamps, which contained spirits in their base, were specifically de...

The cylindrical opium container is executed in hammered brass and decorated with an expressive repose design of a rider in a landscape with blossom tre...

The Chinese water pipes for smoking opium or tobacco could be beautifully decorated with enamel or be coated with precious materials such as ray skin. How were they used? The heated opium was placed in the lidded well of the pipe. The smoker could inhale the fumes through this pipe. Most water pipes have a holder for storing the maintenance tools, such as a little brush, a spike and tweezers. The water pipes could easily be smoked while sitting down, unlike the regular opium pipes...

Antique Chinese Opium Box in Cloisonné Enamel, decorated with Floral Motifs and Interior Scenes French Private Collection

Old Chinese Opium Box in Cloisonné Enamel, decorated with Vases and Flowers. French Private Collection

The bowl of the Vietnamese water pipe is jar-shaped. The metal handle allows easy carrying and moving of the object. The pipe stem that is normally places in the water tank, is missi...

Beautiful lacquered paper mache box decorated with imaginary animals (that look like cats) and plant motifs. The box seems to take the shape of a vege...

Used to tote pails of water and grain, this 19th-century yoke, or burden bar, transcends its utilitarian origins as a striking sculptural object. Fitted with the original brass finis...

An old tool for making textiles in Japan. It's a very rare object. The light and shadow that pass through the even holes are very beautiful. A nice art ob...

This Shiwan ceramic opium pillow /headrest of earthenware features a green glaze. Pillows in this shape were not only used by opium smokers but mo...

Two pairs of two halves from the same bar, finely detailed, with pointed ears and eyebrows, opaque yellow face, opaque red on the mouth, nose, eyes and ears, translucent cobalt blue edges to the mouth, nose and ears, with translucent emerald green leaves above and between the translucent cobalt blue brows and eye line, translucent pink pupils, with translucent cobalt blie and opaque white snake scales below the face, in translucent cobalt blue matrix, cut in the lower part of a cartouche design. These rare heads might represent the Agathos Daimon, the tutelary deity of Alexandria, who was also identified with Serapis, the male counterpart of Isis-Thermouthis (who in turn was a graecisized form of the early snake harvest goddess Renenutet). In a statue of Isis-Thermouthis in Alexandria museum (no. 25773, ex-collection King Farouk I), reproduced in Gotten, Pharaonen, no. 151, the snake goddess...

Chinese lobed blue Peking glass bowl, everted rim, tapering sides. Dimensions Height: 2.25 inches / 5.7 cm Width: 11 inches / 24.7 cm.