Philippine Furniture

Spanish Colonial style refectory dinning table crafted in narra hardwood. Tabletop with frame, center panel in one piece of wood. The Philippines were a Spanish colony for over 300 ...

This absolutely stunning antique Spanish Colonial articulated santos sculpture (bulto) stands almost 4' tall and was sculpted out of lightweight wood covered in papier-mache, then p...

Large Betel Nut Box, Maranao, Southern Philippines (Mindanao). Bronze with bordered silver inlay design overall of a symmetrical floral tendril vine pattern referred to as “the okir ...

Spanish Colonial style refectory dinning table crafted in narra hardwood. Tabletop with frame, center panel in one piece of wood. The Philippines were a Spanish colony for over 300 ...

This pedestal table is a wonderful example of Spanish colonial design. The stunning top is made from a single piece of Narra wood and rests on decoratively carved tripod legs. This p...

A scarce Spanish Colonial Hispano-Philippine hand carved santo altar figure sculpture. circa 1810 Handmade by Spanish settlers / colonists in the Philippines, late 18th / early 19th...

Panabas short sword from the Philippines. A rare late 18th early 19th century Panabas short sword from the Mindanao, Malabang and the Moro cultures in Lanao Del Sur, the southern p...

Southern Philippine (Mindanao) brass with silver inlay betel box. The top lifts to reveal 4 hinged compartments that held the betel leaf, areca nut, slacked lime and chewing condimen...

Antique Philippine Brass and Copper Betel Nut Box. The top lifts to reveal 2 hinged compartments that held the betel leaf and areca nut. Inlaid in c...

A hand woven karagumoy Filipino basket from the 19th century, with checkered two-toned structure, side opening and rustic character. Created in the Phi...

A scarce fine quality antique silver-inlaid solid brass betel nut box (Lutuan), dating to the second half of the 19th / early 20th century, hand-crafted in Mindanao, Philippines. Boxes such as this were used to store the areca nut (also known as the betel nut) which would be wrapped in a betel leaf with lime paste and other ingredients, often tobacco, for chewing. Similar to the European tea caddy, these boxes often served as a way to impress while showing off ones wealth. Betel chewing was prevalent in the southern Philippines as in much of the rest of Southeast Asia. Wealthier Maranao families on Mindanao were able to afford elaborate silver-inlaid brass betel boxes such as this example. Such boxes were used to show off to guests and from which they were offered betel and the other component such as leaves and lime to make up the betel quid. Rare large size, most extant examples of such boxes tend to measure around 5 inches in length. At slightly more than 7.75 inches the example here is larger than most. The distinctive decorative box features a very heavy strong-box like rectangular shaped chest form with canted corners, copper handles, and a conforming hinged lid, lifting open to reveal an interior divided into three compartments covered by four hinged lids. Each of these doors is inlaid with silver in stylized orchid flower patterns. Exceptionally executed throughout, the arabesque silver inlaid exterior is decorated to the top with a large orchid motif within scrolling obid-obid (stylized rope) borders. The front, back and sides are inlaid with sets of stylized tail feathers of the sari-manok bird beneath which are unusual, highly stylized whimsical zoomorphic faces that appear like cat or tiger faces. (Such stylisation is accounted for by Southeast Asian Islamic preferences to avoid the overt and this potentially idolatrous representation of animal and human forms. Designs such as these are drawn from a local design repertoire that has its origins in wood carving. Although the spread of Islam in the Philippines began in the 14th century, mostly through the influence of Muslim merchants from the western Malay Archipelago, decorative arts in this design remain exceptionally rare. This lutuan represents a fine example of Islamic metalwork from the most eastern outreach of Islamic art and civilisation: Mindanao island being significantly further east than even China – artwork from Islamic Southeast Asia remains chronically under-represented in the world’s major collections of Islamic art. PROVENANCE / ACQUISITION Acquired from highly reputable auction house, Austin Auction Gallery, established 1983, Austin, Texas. References Brownrigg, H., Betel Cutters...

A hand woven karagumoy Filipino basket from the 19th century, with checkered two-toned structure, side opening and rustic character. Created in the Philippines...

Long table made of Narra wood. Wood with a beautiful grain pattern. Table top is in one piece of wood. From the Philippines 1860 - 1880. The national tree of the Philippines, is today protected. The Philippines was a Spanish colony...

Pair of decorative wood capitals with white color. Korintisk style Philippines approx. year 1900.

An antique 19th century handwoven rattan carrying basket from the Philippines with lid. Created in the Philippines during the 19th century, th...

Blending Spanish colonial craftsmanship and design, this table is made from the beautiful and hard narra wood from the Philippines. The table has a light open feel with the attractiv...

Rare and remarkable 19th century British colonial two drawer server from the Philippines, handcrafted in mahogany with a lush grain, featuring pegged construction, brass hardware, seashell inlays and elegant turned and beaded legs.

Presenting an amazing set of 6 Mindanao brass silver betel boxes, Philippines. Betel chewing was prevalent in the southern Philippines as in much o...

Elegant and decorative "boot" table in Narra nobel wood. Table top in one piece of wood, straight legs ending in base in the shape of boots. Philippines approx. 1860-1880 (The Phil...

19th century Philippine bamboo, walnut and oak six-drawer dressing table with marble top.

An antique farmer's grain basket from the 19th century, with cylindrical silhouette, iridescent motifs and lid. Found in the Philippines, this rattan grai...

Long tables from the Philippines, circa 1840. Legs and frame made of Balayong wood, center top plate of one piece of Molava wood. Both types of wood are tropical hardwood types and v...

A rare 19th century solid Narra wood altar table from the Philippines. It is in Colonial style, with Asian construction. This Philippine altar table is made with a five panel top ove...

This pair of lamps made from local woods were once part of the staircase of a historic house in the Philippines. The carved wood rich with patina has now been set upon iron bases and...

Spanish Colonial dinning table crafted in narra hardwood. Tabletop in one piece of 4 cm thick wood. The Philippines were a Spanish colony for over 300 years, so this is a wonderful ...