Rare Chinese Tonkin Ware Shakudo Sawasa Erotic Tobacco Box

A Chinese made tonkin ware gilt- and lacquer cup and saucer China or Japan, Chinese artisans, early 18th century The black-lacquered cup with gilt handles in the shape of sculptured chrysanthemums and a lobbed edge decorated with gilt engraved border, with a gilt foot-ring that fits into the saucer ring, with two cartouches showing partly undercut gilt relief trees and birds on a gilt granulated background, black lacquered bracket-lobed edge, depicting gilt engraved peony scrolls and three cartouches decorated with high relief gilt trees and birds on a gilt granulated background, the centre with engraved chrysanthemum, enclosed by a raised ring upon which the cup fits, around which a circular panel decorated with high gilt relief trees, flowers, birds and a butterfly on a gilt granulated background. Measures: Cup: H. 5.7 x W. 8.5 cm Saucer: Diameter 13 cm Provenance: Collection Felix Schäfer Note: The decoration of the cup and saucer is identical to the slightly smaller cup and saucer...

A pair of very fine silver filigree rosewater sprinklers Possibly India, Karimnagar, early 18th century Measures: Height 31.6 cm and 31.7 cm,...

Two Palembang Peranakan lacquerware bridal boxes and a tray South Sumatra, Palembang, lacquer work by Chinese Peranakan artisans, mid 20th century Woo...

Batavia (Jakarta), 19th century, apparently unmarked H. 5 x W. 18 x D. 13 cm Before settling down to business in the former Dutch East Indies, sirih had to be offered in the most e...

A Japanese Nagasaki export lacquer box with mother-of-pearl depiction of the Amsterdam ‘Trippenhuis’ Edo-period, circa 1830 H. 12.5 x W. 24 x D. 15 cm ? The house depicted on t...

An unusual Indonesian lobbed silver dish Jakarta (Batavia) or Coromandel coast, third quarter 17th century, apparently unmarked The eight lobbed dish exuberantly decorated with floral motifs, with the middle section replaced, consisting of indistinctly marked German silver from the early 19th century, bearing the coat-of-arms of the Von Pfeffel family. Diam. 30.5 cm Weight 461 grams Note: Lobbed silver dishes with exuberant floral decorations were characteristic of the decorative arts in the Netherlands in the first half of the 17th century. This style of floral decoration was adopted by silversmiths as well as by furniture makers working on the Coromandel Coast and in Batavia, often by workers who had fled the Coromandel Coast because of war and famine. In Batavia this style was known as “Custwerck” (work from the Bengal coast). These lobbed dishes are seldom marked. Only after 1667 the use of the town mark became obligatory in Batavia but only for silver made in Batavia not for silver imported in Batavia from other VOC settlements. The engraved coat of arms in the centre is a replacement of the original centre. The coat of arms can be identified as those of Christian Hubert von Pfeffel (1765- 1834). As a diplomat, statesman, ambassador of Bavaria in London and Saxony and councillor to the King of Bavaria, he was made “Freiherr” in 1828 and since then used this coat of arms. His son Karl Maximilian Friederich Hubert Freiherr von Pfeffel (1811-1890) in 1836 married Karoline Adelheid Pauline von Rottenburg (1805-1872), the natural daughter of Prins Paul von Württemberg (1785-1852) and his mistress Margrethe Porth. Paul was the jounger brother of the King Wilhelm I of Württemberg (1781-1864). The heraldic motto of the von Pfeffels Vur Schande habe den Huot means as much as “Beware of Shame”. Christian Hubert Theodoor Marie Karl von Pfeffel Karl Maximilian’s grandson was the last male in the von Pfeffel line. His daughter, Marie Louise (Paris in 1882 - Cornwall 1944), born and grown-up in France, changed her name in de Pfeffel. She was the great grandmother of Boris Alexander de Pfeffel Johnson, the present British Secretary of State. None of the members of the von Pfeffel family had any direct links with the Dutch East Indies but indirectly by way of the Royal House of Württemberg they did. Sophia Frederika Mathilda von Württemberg (1818-1877), daughter of Wilhelm I King of Württemberg, in 1839 married Willem III...

Monochrome Chinese Fish Scale cloisonne is long famed for it's high quality of craftsmanship and understated elegance. A staple of interior design...

A fine antique 20th century Japanese Amita Damascene Steel Box. Made of damascened steel inlaid with gold & silver. The lid of the box has gilt depictions of bamboo plants, whi...

An exceptional, fine and impressive antique Chinese export silver dragon box; an addition to our collection of boxes and cases This fine antique C...

A fine Korean iron box used to store tobacco leaves dated to the late Joseon Dynasty circa 19th century. The box is made from iron and has a heavy weight, although the wears along the edges of the lid and base exposes a bronze metal color underneath, indicating the iron metal may contains a high level of copper. The surface was beautifully decorated with elaborate silver inlay that covers the entire surface except the base. The extraordinary workmanship depicts a pair of deer within the circled square (shape of heaven and earth) and a lined background on the long sides and a crane with spread wings on the shorter sides. Both animals were associated with longevity. Their eyes were highlighted with copper inlay, adding a lively touch to the animation. The lid is centered with a Chinese character "Xi" (Paired-Hui in Korean), which means double happiness. (In Chinese culture, it is often used in a wedding ceremony). The large symbol was set on geometrical background of tightly scrolling diamond pattern surrounded by stylized Ruyi mushroom heads, another floral longevity symbol. Archaic fret cloud band borders the entire perimeters of the lid and the container. Tobacco was introduced to Korean in the first half of the 17th century and gradually gained popularity. When the tobacco was started being smoked in shredded form instead of rolled leaves, there rose the production of the smoking accessories, with some in fine quality as luxury items for the elite. The accoutrement such as this box is a fine example made in late Joseon dynasty, using extensive silver inlay, a technique called "jjoeum-ipsa", in which the silver wires were hammered into the scorched iron surface to create the elaborate design. Similar boxes with variation of shape and motifs are in the collection of several major museums. Compare the box with item Gu 754 in the National Museum of Korea; item 22.78 in MET NYC and M.240:1, 2-1926 in V& A Museum in London. The most closely related example we found is item C232 in the collection of the Museum of East Asian Art...

Sweet little Chinese export brass box with beautiful floral etched designs, looks like peonies to me. With a lovely white jade top carved in fretwork with a vase framed by the flower...

This slender metal container is a 19th-century white brass incense burner, used for storing and burning incense sticks. The small box has a rectangular form and a removable sliding t...