Netherlands - Metalwork

A heavy traditional bronze temple bell (bonshô), boasting a bright green patina and a resonant sound. The top handle (ryûzu), is beautifully sculpted into the form of twin dragon he...

A very finely made piece for the SE Asian market. Condition Overall condition, 1 leg seems restored. Further in Good condition, some minimal age signs which are all pictured. Size ...

Nicely made Okimono. Good condition. Size: 20.5CM high Condition No damages, just some very minimal ware. Size: 20.5CM high Period 19th century

Remarkable and very large bronze 4-tiered trumpet vase intricately designed with a motif of tumultuous waves. It’s crafted to give the impression that the trumpet-shaped chalice, is ...

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...

Elegant brown patinated bronze trumpet vase with gold and red sprinkled design. It has an impressive broad outward curved mouth decorated on both sides with the dots. Its slender bod...

Exceptionally shaped bronze vase with a striking ‘coarse’-textured red mottled patina. The bowl subtly shaped like a flower, its slightly concave body flanked by ‘butterfly wing’-sha...

Nicely made and carved pair of Bronze vases. Condition just some ware and some small scratches/dents. As pictures Size: 16CM high Period 19th century

Nicely made Okimono. Good condition, just some ware. Size: 14.5x9.8CM LengthxHeight Condition Good condition, just some ware. Size: 14.5x9.8CM LengthxHeight Period 19th century

A ruyi-shaped Shakudo-style erotic tobacco or snuff box, relief-decorated with silvered applied figures Possibly Jakarta (Batavia), first half 18th century Measures: H. 2.2 x L. 12.1 x W. 8 cm This box is very much in the Dutch taste, for the illustration is after a print with a legend reading “L’oiseau sans cage. Prenez, belle, mon oiseau. C’est le plus doux présent que je puisse vous faire. Pour les autres oiseaux, la cage d’ordinaire est une espèce de tombeau. Mais le mien semble prendre une nouvelle vie, Lorsqu’il sera dans la cage de mon aimable Silvie.” The erotic message is as clear as can be. In Dutch culture the verb ‘vogelen’ (catching a bird) is another word for having sex and a bird escaping from his cage indicates loss of chastity. The lady with the bare breasts, while making the sign of sealed lips to the lady behind her, who is pointing towards heaven, seems to be caressing the bird held in the sleeping man’s groin. 17th century Dutch pictures...

Nicely shaped Blanc de Chine fruit, pomegranate. Blanc de Chine Porcelain : The porcelain known in the West as Blanc de Chine was produced 300 miles south of the main Chinese kiln c...

A Minangkabau red-enamelled and brass wedding crown or 'Suntiang' A Minangkabau red-enamelled and brass wedding crown or 'Suntiang'West Sumatra, Minangkabau, probably 1st half 20th ...

BRONZE top level Chinese statue Qing period, 19th century. Condition 29.5cm Period 19th century

An Indonesian Yogya-silver plate Yogyakarta or Kotagede, 1935-1940, marked, (alloy) 800 and maker’s mark PH (Prawirohardjo, act. from 1935) Diam. 27.2 cm Weight 454 grams Th...

An elaborate Minangkabau gem-set brass floral wedding crown or 'Suntiang' West Sumatra, Minangkabau, probably 1st half 20th century H. 66.5 cm (incl. stand) Provenance: Private co...

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...

Northern India or Deccan, late 19th century L. approx. 82 cm (excl. stand) Provenance: Private collection, United Kingdom This remarkable gilt-silver soonta (ceremonial sceptre) also known as choba (ceremonial mace) with a tiger's head stands out as an unparalleled example. It has a wooden base, clad with thick sheet part-gilt silver and has fine details such as teeth and a curling tongue. Especially with the inlaid glass eyes, in combination with the grand sculptural design, it would have been integral to an Indian maharaja’s attire, known as lawajama in North India and biruthus in South India, as referenced by Jackson & Jaffer. They would symbolise authority, power, and sometimes an attribute of various deities, particularly those associated with strength or combat. For instance, the Hindu god Hanuman, known for his immense strength, is often depicted holding a mace (*chob* or gada in Sanskrit). Similarly, the god Vishnu and his avatar Krishna are also frequently depicted with a mace among their other attributes. Courtiers would raise these sceptres wrapped in rich brocades, with the head visible, during processions, signalling their association with the monarch. Alongside fly-whisks and standards, they were indispensable in ceremonial parades, underscoring the ruler's prestige. Terlinden notes that a soonta berdar was tasked with carrying the sceptre. These individuals, proficient in courtly manners, played key roles during audiences, from managing entrances to introducing guests. Their esteemed position often earned them generous rewards, including land grants. See for a depiction of sceptres in use the top right of a painting in the collection of the V&A, titled Processional scene with Amar Singh, ruler of Thanjavur (Tanjore), and Sarabhoji, from circa 1797. For a very comparable piece, but with an elephant’s head, see the collection of the Indian Museum, Kolkata. For other less similar examples, see the V&A Museum London. Sources: A. Jackson & A. Jaffer, Maharaja: The Splendour of India’s Royal Courts, London, V&A Publishing, 1999 Christiane Terlinden Serra, Mughal Silver...

A splendid and heavy Dutch-colonial silver filigree salver Indonesia, Batavia (Jakarta) or possibly Padang, West Sumatra, 2nd half 17th century Diam. 22.9 cm Weight 551 grams This filigree-work was probably done by Chinese masters...

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

A pair of very fine silver filigree rosewater sprinklers Possibly India, Karimnagar, early 18th century Height 31.6 cm and 31.7 cm, weight 39...

Very refined Japanese bronze okimono of a ‘karasu tengu’ holding a candlestick. Well cast as a tengu in half-human, half-bird form standing atop a pile of leaves on a rounded square...

Nice Quality with superb decoration. Additional information: Material: Bronze & Metal Region of Origin: Japan Period: 19th century, 20th century Condition: Some usual age signs like...

Large and heavy Japanese light brown patinated bronze footed water basin (suiban) with a mottled golden motif. The bowl with stepped concave rings and a n...

Antique 1900-1930 cloisonné incense burner and jug garniture antique China Chinese main product image An interesting an nicely made incense ...

Indian Bidri Hookah Base, decorated with floral patterns and folliage. India, Bidri ware, 19th century. In fairly good condition, worn due to age (see images). Dimensions: 16 cm. ...

Lovely Chinese porcelain vase. Underglaze Liling. Dating to 1990's Marked Base Condition Perfect. Size 20CM high Period 20th century PRoC (1949 - now)