Chinese Sunflower Printing Block, c. 1900

This pair of decorative red lacquer signs dates to the late 19th century and is carved in relief with a poetic couplet. Carved to resemble ink calligraphy, the couplet reads: "Do good deeds without questioning your happiness, pursue knowledge without forgetting your principles." The long, vertical signs...

Chinese innovations in ink, block printing, and movable type fueled global advancements in printing technology, expanding the range of influence of the written word. These printing innovations can be attributed to Chinese Buddhist devotees, who embraced woodblock printing as an important vehicle to spread sutras and good spirits. Though the printing press is said to have been invented in China, it never offered the same efficiencies to Chinese culture as it did in the West, due to the near endless numbers of Chinese characters and the labor involved in manipulating them. Enclosed in a contemporary wooden frame, each of the miniature wood blocks included in this early 20th-century type set was hand-carved with a Chinese character. Each is a unique and wonderful curiosity, providing an unusual look at a moment in time. Each set contains approximately 70 individual tiles.

Chinese innovations in ink, block printing, and movable type fueled global advancements in printing technology, expanding the range of influence of the written word. These printing i...

An integral part of traditional Chinese home life, ancestor worship before a domestic altar often featured painted ancestral portraits or tabletop ancestor figure...

Tea drinking has been an integral part of Chinese culture for centuries, resulting in a wide range of social customs and material traditions. In addition to tea leaves, water, and heat, the art of drinking tea (chayi) calls for a variety of teaware and utensils - both practical and decorative. This charming teapot dates to the late Qing dynasty and is hand-carved from a hollow length of bamboo to appear as though parceled by a cloth strung with tassels. The teapot has a squat, rounded form and a dark brown finish, reminiscent of Yixing red clay teapots...

Tea drinking has been an integral part of Chinese culture for centuries, resulting in a wide range of social customs and material traditions. In addition to tea leaves, water, and heat, the art of drinking tea (chayi) calls for a variety of teaware and utensils - both practical and decorative. This charming teapot dates to the late Qing dynasty and is hand-carved from a hollow length of bamboo in the shape of a ripe pomegranate. The handle is carved to resemble a thin branch, which forks to either side of the teapot bearing long, slender leaves. The teapot has a squat, rounded form and a dark brown finish, reminiscent of Yixing red clay teapots...

19th century auspicious carved panel story board. Chinese carved wooden panel of one solid piece of carved wood set in a wooden frame. A C...

A tribal door from a Lopo Round hut from tribes people on the island of Timor, Indonesia. A Lopo house is a communal hut where the tribe convenes with a second story used to store gr...

A wonderfully hand-carved wooden panel with floral motifs from the Indonesian island of Madura, off the coast of eastern Java. This decorative panel once adorned a traditional Madura...

A large hand carved Chinese wood panel, hand painted. The early 19th century panel with lion, elephant and a male figure deeply carved in high relie...

Nicely carved and framed pair of high relief carved and painted panels. Subtle colors with age appropriate worn finish carved depicting cranes (birds) amongst flowers standing in wat...

A Chinese vintage camphor wood low-relief wall plaque from Zhejiang depicting a celestial guardian on a mythical animal. Created in Eastern China during the midcentury period, this w...