Wood Scholar's Objects

Rare Early Shinto Temple Find This is an incredibly rare and authentic Omikuji (Sacred Fortune Telling) set, dating back to the Late Edo Period. Unlike modern plastic or simple wo...

This is an antique gentleman's writing slope. An English, burr walnut and leather correspondence box, dating to the mid Victorian period, circa 1850. Delightful craftsmanship with ...

An incredibly rare 18th Century monumental palace size Ottoman Islamic astrolabe on an easel stand, Turkey, circa 1720. This rare palace size Astrola...

A fine pair of antique Chinese Qing dynasty ( 1644-1911) hand carved jade table screens, circa 1850. The rectangular screens are made of variegated s...

Our calligraphy brush stands are made of solid wenge wood, a prized, sustainable, exotic wood with beautiful grains. Top of the stands are deco...

On offer is an extraordinary Chinese scholar rock of Taihu type in a vertical mushroom-cloud form. Impressive in size, texture and grotto-filled shape, the well-balanced stone is pre...

Our calligraphy brush stands are made of solid wenge wood, a prized, sustainable, exotic wood with beautiful grains. Top of the stands are deco...

A Chinese scholar stone in an upright mushroom form displayed on a custom wood stand. Wonderful and well-balanced, the ocher and cream color stone is likely of the Taihu type. It sho...

A fantastic Chinese scholar's stone, called gongshi, of gray lingbi limestone, mounted on a hardwood stand, late Qing or early Republic, early 20th century, circa 1910, China . The ...

Spectacular Chinese 'Taihu' scholar's stone. Naturally formed limestone mounted on gorgeous carved hardwood stand. Scholar's stones are limestone from Lake Tai in China which natura...

A finely carved zitan wood display stand in the form of a round table, China, Republic Period, mid 20th century. The circular display stand carved from rare and precious zitan wood. Fashioned as a classical Chinese round table...

SUISEKI, KAMUY KOTAN STONE – Kamuy kotan stone from the canyon called ‘Kamuy-kotan’ (‘Whereabouts of God’ in the Ainu language) in the western part of Asahikawa city in Hokkaido, Jap...

An exceptional, deeply spiritual masterpiece of Japanese 水石 (Suiseki / Viewing Stone) art: a naturally formed "Sugata-ishi" (Figure Stone) that reveals the serene silhouette of a med...

Antique Vietnamese Shell Inlaid Tea Tray (Khay, go kham trai) a rectangular raised footed tray having four kneeling legs connected with bottom elbowed stretchers. The legs, skirt, interior and railing all decorated on the exterior surface with inset shaped mother-of-pearl shell pieces in subtle shimmering hues of flora and fauna motifs with Chinese key fret and flora vignettes with butterflies and birds. The galleried and footed tray crafted entirely of rosewood with mortise and tenon joinery. Minor inset shell losses, evidence of previous cracks, restored condition. Measuring: 4 in. high x 12.25 in. wide x 7.5 in. deep. (102 x 312 x 190mm) Weight 1 lb. 12.1 oz. (797g.) Nguyen Dynasty, 19th - 20th Century. Provenance: Copper Red, Bangkok L’Asie Exotique, Palm Springs, CA For similar examples see: Co Vat Viet Nam: Vietnamese Antiques...

An exquisite late Qing dynasty display Stand of longyan wood, carved as a miniature "kang" table. The center panel features an amazing grain that delights the eye, while a soft glo...

A tall Chinese scholar stone (also known as Gong Shi in Chinese; meditation stone and spirit rock in the West) of significant weight and volume is gracefully balanced on the wood dis...

Chinese Scholar's Carved Hongmu Hardwood Qilin Paperweight, Possibly Zitan, Qing Estate of John Loring of Tiffanys An exceptional Chinese scholar's desk paperweight (zhenzhi), finel...

A visually arresting tall vertical scholar stone of Lingbi type balanced on a fitted wood base. The rock formation features an elegant slender form of highly sculptural surface with ...

This circa 1900 Chinese bamboo brush pot is beautifully carved in low relief with pavilions in a mountainous landscape. With applied rosewood rim and footed rosewood base. The gourd ...

A remarkable straits Chinese (also known as Peranakan or Nyonya) carved hardwood and bamboo inlaid and embellished table-form stand, originally for dis...

A stunning carved and pierced Chinese jade vase, Qing Dynasty, 19th century. The vase is carved with a design of birds, flowers and trees, each rife ...

Served as a traveling cabinet as well as a shrine and carried like a backpack for the Buddhist priests and monks during long pilgrimage, this rare chest is known as Oi Japanese. In China the carrier case is known as Ji, traditionally used by the traveling scholars or monks in the ancient time to carry their belongings such as books, clothes, and stationary. The piece on offer here is of Japanese origin and dated to Edo period (circa 17-18th century), possibly older to 16th century of Momoyama or Muromachi period. It was likely reserved for the use of a high-rank priest to carry the Buddhism scripts based on its luxurious high quality. The wood frame takes the shape of a pagoda with carved bamboo design that features upturned corner cornices...

A rare Japanese Koto made from carved Paulownia wood and lavishly decorated with lacquer Maki-e circa late 19th century of Meiji Period (1868-1912). The ...

A large and dramatic Chinese Gongshi (known as meditation stone or spirit stone) from Taihu (Lake Tai) balanced on display stand. This scholar rock features a relatively red and poro...

An exquisitely hand carved bone Chinese dignitary standing figure portraying a lavishly dressed bearded male. Difficult to date, in our opinion last quarter of the 19th century. ...

A Chinese Wooden Black Painted Pillow Box, Early 20th Century Description: The box features a black finish adorned with hand-painted golden garden scenes and floral patterns. Prove...

This sublime Chinese scholar stone was collected from the Jade Peaks in the Kun Mountains, Jiangsu Province. Known sometimes as "the magic stone" in China due to its unique formation...

A fine Chinese scholar's stone. Made of nephrite jade from the Hotan (Hetian) region of China. Scholar's rocks (gongshi, 供石) are naturally occuring rocks that are appreciated for t...

Rare find!: 24 feet long Zen monk Mala Prayer Bead String plus original wooden alms bowl with its original attached triangular shaped stone ojime. A huge...

Chinese scholars rock, Qing dynasty, circa 1900 or earlier, mounted on a custom carved hardwood base. This is a large scale rock is a fine example, with beautiful striations of light...

‘Kamuy kotan seki’ (Kamuy kotan stone) from the canyon called ‘Kamuy-kotan’ (‘Whereabouts of God’ in the Ainu language) in the western part of Asahikawa city in Hokkaido, Japan. Quite a unique abstractive blackness as the God (‘Kamuy’=’Kami’) with no processing by human hands, except attached with a wooden stand (undetachable) as such a calm and sacred piece of Art of Japanese ‘Suiseki...

This is a stone mined in Japan. Not only in China but also in Japan from ancient times, rocks in the mountains have been shaved and stones for viewing have been quarried. Such stone...

This elegant container is a 19th-century Chinese document box, once used by a Qing-dynasty scholar-official to store stationery accessories such as brushes, seals and ink sticks. Cra...

A large Chinese export hardwood scholar's brush pot or vessel crafted in a beautifully restrained and minimal cylindrical form. The pot is crafted from a dense red-brown rosewood, an...

Our calligraphy brush stands are made of solid wengé wood, a prized, sustainable, exotic wood with beautiful grains. Top of the stands are deco...

Among the many esteemed objects of the traditional Chinese scholar’s studio was the scroll pot, a large container for storing one's collection of landscape paintings, poetry and work...

A Chinese scholar stone of Lingbi type presented on a carved wood base. This stone takes a singular vertical form with one convex side that is largely flat, and the other side slight...

Antique Chinese Moulded Tangerine Skin and Wood Snuff Bottle. A pear shaped hexagonal form with relief character design on each side possibly translating to “good” - “fragrance”. Th...

The Chinese scholar rock on offer here is a wonderful example of Ying (also known as Yingde stone), a less common type than Lingbi or Taihu. Gray in color, it has an extraordinary up...

A very tall and slender Chinese scholar rock of Taihu type in an elegant Lingzhi mushroom form well-balanced on a custom-carved wood stand circa late 19th century. Being exposed to t...

A Korean writing box from the Joseon Dynasty. This is a beautiful and very decorative antique Korean writing box made during the period of the Joseon dynasty, circa 1880. This box h...

An impressive Chinese scholar Lingbi stone (also known as Gong Shi in Chinese; meditation stone and spirit rock in the West) of substantial height and mass on a carved wood display s...

Although sometimes referred to as ‘paintings’ or ‘dream stones’, these are sections of Dali marble, quarried from the Cangshan mountain range in Western China and carefully chosen &a...

A Japanese lacquered wood Naga Fubako (a long box used to store document or large scroll painting), circa 19th century Meiji period. The rectangular box features an unusually deep lipped lid with slightly rounded corners, a conforming lower box with bronze medallion rings with tasseled...

A six-panel painted folding floor screen from Korea circa early 20th century. This type of screen is called Chaekgeori (books and things) which is quite unique to Korea. It became popular at the end of 18th century favored and encouraged by King Jeongjo (1752-1800) as a political tool to promote social conservatism such as the traditional Confucianism value, especially considered important in a time when waves of new ideology influx came to Korea. Initially commissioned for the royal court, they became increasingly popular with the scholars of noble and affluent households and were used widely in their halls and studies. Early screens were painted with trompe-l’oeil bookcases displaying books and arrays of collectibles. Later, the bookcases were eliminated to focus on the assemblage of neatly stacked books and objects of scholarly pursue. On this screen, the six panels were neatly presented and framed in woven brocade borders. Among the stacked volumes, one can find many fine porcelain vases with flowers, potted orchids, pen holders with brush pens and scroll paintings, incense burner, ink stone, teapot, fan with ink painting, vessels of fruits, exotic plants such as lotus, plumeria and even a pair of glasses. It feels like a pleasant visual measure hunting for the viewers. Several words in Chinese found their way into the picture as well, including filial (xiao), longevity (shou) and luck (fu). The painting was done in a meticulous way with no details overlooked and also with a rather western still-life dimensional perspective. In a rather unusual maximal but also minimalistic way, the screen exudes a historical charm with a folky flair but appears modern at the same time. Each panel is 17.5"w by 70.2"h. For general information on the subject see reference: Chaekgeori the Power and Pleasure of Possessions in Korean Painted Screens...

On offer is a vertical Chinese scholar rock balanced on a carved wood display stand. The specimen is a wonderful example of Ying (or Yingde) stone, one of the four famed stone types known to Chinese literati and a less common type than Lingbi or Taihu. Gray in color, it has an extraordinary upright form rising from a small stem, like an "Avatar Mountain" peeking out of the mist. Visually it feels impossible for the stone to balance on its thin stem and the wood base. The illusion is due to the thickness of the depth which is not immediately visible from front or back. This type of exotic form was highly desired by the collector. The surface is remarkable with pronounced schisms, gullies, folding lines, with several formation of openings that give it a grotto and airy feel. Different sceneries are revealed when viewed from different angles, making this one of the most intriguing stones in Tishu Gallery...

An immense and rare large-scale Chinese scholar's limestone Lingbi rock or water stone presented on an intricately carved hardwood display stand. The monumental form of the stone is ...

Unusual Chinese Scholars’ Incense Tray, beautifully crafted of wood covered in a parquetry of small pieces of coconut wood in a “Cracked Ice” pattern, small footed base with flared rim with beaded edge. Complete with a Japanese Collectors’ wood storage box labeled: “Chinese coconut...

A vertical Taihu scholar stone in a wonderful grotto form perched on a custom wood stand. The stone, in a nearly pure grey color, displays a weathered surface with visually arresting...

This is a stone mined in Japan. Not only in China but also in Japan from ancient times, rocks in the mountains have been shaved and stones for viewing have been quarried. Such stone...

Bamboo and wooden slips - jiandú- were the main media for writing documents in China before the widespread introduction of paper during the first two centuries AD. This substantial group, 98 pieces, of one-of-a-kind slips with painted hand calligraphy appeals to book lovers and antiquity sleuths We believe them to be circa 1900 , Qing dynasty and are offering this group from a collection of old works of art. Dimensions: bamboo slips...

Here's a wonderful find from our acquisitions trip to Japan. We were fortunate to find this Art Deco period pair (2) matching hand-carved, hand red lacquered and gilt embellished temple wooden benches. The white elephant bench and matching shi-shi komainu temple lion both originally came from a temple near Kobe. Quite sturdy, they may have been entry sitting or shoe changing benches...

A Chinese scholar stone originated from Wuling Mountains, Hunan Province in central China. A type of geological wonder, formed through wind erosion and polishing by the elements of t...

A Chinese Hardwood Miniature Table Form Stand, Late 19th century Dimension: Height: 11.5 cm Length: 32 cm. Depth: 12 cm. Provenance: Old Melbourne Chinese Collection.

19th century Chinese red and black lacquer box with gilded highlights. This amazing box is a new favorite of mine. So cool! This late Qing Dynasty piece brings to mind Japanese anime...

A stunning upright Chinese scholar stone (also known as Gong Shi, meditation stone and spirit rock) of significant weight and volume is gracefully balanced on the wood display stand....

A rare Xuan type Chinese scholar stone on a carved wood stand circa 19th century Qing dynasty. Xuan stone was traditionally collected in Xuan Zhou, Anhui Province in China. The stone...

An exceptional scholar's rock lingbi (灵璧石), traditionally intended for Chinese scholars, on a very elaborate Qing period wooden base. It is presented with the larger end above the sm...

A mounted calligraphy hanging scroll (Kakejiku) by Japanese poet and calligrapher Omachi Keigetsu (1869-1925) circa 1900s, late Meiji or Tasho period. The inkwork in cursive calligra...

On offer is a tall Chinese Taihu scholar rock in an upright mushroom-cloud shape displayed on a custom wood stand. Well-balanced in form, the stone is of an uncommon deep yellow colo...