Japanese Rare Antique Good Luck Cat Maneki-neko Sign, Hand Carved Hand Painted

Japan, a beautifully handmade and hand carved black lacquer colored antique shop sign -kanban- for a Japanese currency exchange shop. The kanji translates to "currency exchange". Many antique Japanese shop signs...

Japan a rare large-scale and lovely hand-painted blue and white ceramic Maneki Neko good fortune money cat. It is from the Arita/ imari kilns and dates to the early 20th century. Notice the intricate detailed blue painting on white porcelain of this cat's eyes, body, necklace, and tail. Dimensions: Big 15.5 inches tall and 7inches wide. This comes from a very fine Kyoto area collection. Handsome hand painted blue detail replete with a necklace with bells and bows. Old original patina from appropriate age. An earlier work of art that is hard to find in this size and quality. Handmade and hand-painted. Only one. History: The Maneki-Neko (Japanese literally -beckoning cat) - is a common Japanese figurine (lucky charm, talisman) which is often believed to bring good luck to the owner. In Modern Times, they are usually made of ceramic or plastic. Wooden examples are few and far between. The figurine depicts a cat (traditionally a calico Japanese Bobtail) beckoning with an upright paw, and is usually displayed in—often at the entrance of—shops, restaurants, pachinko parlors, and other businesses. The maneki-neko is sometimes also called the welcoming cat, lucky cat, money cat, happy cat...

This charming and rare hand-made, hand-painted Maneki Neko (beckoning cat) dates back to the Meiji period (1868–1912), showcasing exceptional craftsmanship and attention to detail. K...

Stunning and unique pair of matching horse sculptures. With a combined experience of almost 30 years in the antiques trade, we were thrilled to once again find beautifully hand-crafted and decorative antiques that we had never seen before. From the density and the weight we can see and feel that these highly decorative horse sculptures are made of a tropical hardwood. Like, for example, with antique mirror frames or church sculptures these horses too were first covered with a mixture of chalk and glue so that the paint would hold longer. And, as so often is the case with antiques, the colors that were used for painting these horses are so much more beautiful than anything you find in this day and age that they truly are an absolute joy to look at. From the colors, the wear, the materials and the techniques that were used to create these horses we can see that these are 19th century antiques. However and unfortunately we lack the knowledge to be able to tell you from which country these highly decorative and sizeable works of art originate. We just can't find matching style horse sculptures anywhere on the worldwide web. They could be Chinese or Nepalese, but they could also be Persian or Arabian. We just have not been able to find out. What we do know is that they are definitely antique, they are in beautiful condition (with some wear, consistent with their age), they are highly decorative, probably unique and they have a look and feel that will instantly change the atmosphere of the room they are in. Mind you, our sharp price for this wonderful pair of horse sculptures...