The Ramayana story of the heroic white monkey god Hanuman's rescue of Sita is portrayed by the carving that forms the handle of this teak wood rice scoop. Characters from the Indian epic Ramayana, familiar icons throughout Southeast Asia, are seen on folk and fine art, in children's book and on temple walls as representations of good and evil. In this carving, Hanuman is carrying Sita across the sea back to Rama after rescuing her from the evil king Ravanna. Hanuman is holding his long t ...click for details
This most unusual rice ladle from the Shan minority people of Southeast Asia has carvings of a peacock, an elephant, a donkey, a fish and a mystery animal all lined up along its handle. Carving on the double handle, meant to simulate rope, is skillfully done; carving on the animals is much more primitive, which probably means that it originated in one of the many small Shan villages concentrated in northeast Burma and northwest Thailand. The ladle bowl is made from a sturdy gourd coated with lac ...click for details
An elephant-like mythical animal believed to offer protection to a house and its inhabitants is carved of teak wood and sealed with black lacquer. From the Shan minority people in northeast Burma, the carving has a sliding lid over a large open area that was used to store medicine. The animal is a fanciful composite creature from the carver’s imagination. The trunk is raised over a distinctly non-elephant-like open mouth with sharp teeth. The ears are flowers that extend upwards from above the ...click for details
The curved white tusk of a wild boar was fitted with three silver filigree bands to create this tribal necklace from one of Indonesia's out islands. This unusual mid to late 20th century piece carries the aura of the jungle but its island tribal origin is unknown to us. Numerous ornaments, including small statues, utensils and kris handles, fashioned from various types of horn and bone were believed within island tribal cultures to have magical properties. The tusk hangs from a silver chain ...click for details
This triptych tableau featuring the Buddhist earth goddess, Wathundaye, is carved of teak and fitted with wood hinges to form a folding altar. The mid-20th century piece is from the countryside in Burma, where Wathundaye is a revered Buddhist icon. She is shown in the act of wringing water from her long hair, depicting a Jataka story that credits her with using the water to drown the evil Mara and his armies who were attempting to disrupt Buddha's path to enlightenment as he meditated under ...click for details
This primitive carved wood mask is from the Batak people who live around mystical Lake Toba in the northern reaches of the island of Sumatra. The small collection of Batak protector masks pictured in this catalogue (see them all under our category "Tribal") shows the fascinating range of expressions artisans were able to achieve in these relatively simple carvings. The impression conveyed by this particular mask, one of wide-eyed innocence, is underscored by the soft pastel colors used ...click for details
This primitive carved wood mask is from the Batak people who live around mystical Lake Toba in the northern reaches of the island of Sumatra in Indonesia. The small collection of Batak protector masks pictured in this catalogue (see them all under our category "Tribal") shows the fascinating range of facial expressions artisans were able to achieve in these relatively simple carvings. This particular mask has a bird theme, with rather predatory owl-like eyes and a red and green bird he ...click for details
This primitive carved wood mask is from the Batak people who live around mystical Lake Toba in the northern reaches of the island of Sumatra. The small collection of Batak protector masks pictured in this catalogue (see them all under our category "Tribal") shows the fascinating range of expressions artisans were able to achieve in these relatively simple carvings. The impression conveyed by this particular mask is that of a keen observer somewhat stunned and perplexed by what he sees- ...click for details
This primitive carved wood mask is from the Batak people who live around mystical Lake Toba in the northern reaches of the island of Sumatra. The small collection of Batak protector masks pictured in this catalogue (see them all under our category "Tribal") shows the fascinating range of facial expressions artisans were able to achieve in these relatively simply carved masks. This particular mask is unusual because the face appears to be smiling; its world class bloodshot eyes, however ...click for details
