DIA40xH30mm, China
This tiny blue and white porcelain bowl is used for feeding the pet bird, the wooden detail on the side make it able to be attached to the bamboo bird cage (click to see). The traditional bird feed includes; millet, crushed corn, peanut, sorghum, fruits, sunflower seed, perilla seed, mazi, foxtail millet.
W220xH440mm, China
The fan the matchmaker was holding is made from the leave of a palm tree, this instead is a goose feather fan and its most famous owner is no other than Zhu Ge Liang, the strategist of the San Guo period around 200AD. Zhu Ge Liang is also known as Kong Ming, not only is he good at military strategy, he is also an inventor and literati, a symbol of intellect (apparently he is real handsome too). Zhu Ge Liang, despite of the seasonal change, is never without his fan, they are almost inseparable from this gift from his wife. Once upon a time there is a literati called Huang Cheng Yan, he has a beautiful daughter, to keep her safe from the men around, he named her ugly and she her to learn all sorts of martial arts. When she completed the martial art apprenticeship her master gave her a goose feather fan. On the fan is the word Ming and Liang and strategic military plans, her master told her the future husband will have the word Ming and Liang (shiny) in his name. She married Zhu Ge Liang and gave him the fan as a present, he then had it everywhere he goes, even going with it to war. It seems the fan is not only representing the love between the couple but a bible for military strategy.
W120xD100xH200mm, China
In the old days when free love was forbidden in China, all marriage proposals has to go through a matchmaker. Even when the couples are already in love with each other, one would still have to go through a matchmaker in order to make the marriage a proper one. The job of the matchmaker seems to be only opened to woman, apart from the proposing, they are also responsible for presenting the information of both families. In order to make the deal, the positive points are often emphasised and the weakness carefully put. Acting as the communicator for both families, she is also the co-ordinator, MC, organiser for the wedding.
The head of the figurine nods and the body wobbles resembling the matchmaker lady saying all the goodness about the marriage. The fan, of course, is the essential tool for the matchmaker, making sure everyone would stay cool during the big day.
W100xD100xH200mm, China
Today, the 8th day of lunar April, is the birthday of the Buddha (Siddhartha Gautama). According to the legend, on the night when Siddhartha was conceive, his mother Queen Maya has a dream. In her dream there was a white elephant with 6 tusks holding a lotus flower went circling around her 3 times and then entered her right side. The next morning Queen Maya told King Suddhodana the story and the King summoned the wise men to decipher the dream. It was predicted that the child would become a great king or a Buddha (the enlighten one).
This is a wooden figurine of the Buddha, the third eye (spiritual awakening) of the Buddha is represented by the inlay of a tiny pearl.
If you happens to be in Hong Kong click here and join in the celebration.
W600xL600mm, China
This cushion cover is made with the “seat” portion of a baby carrier used by the Bia tribe. This carrier is made with the patchwork technique, the coin pattern is made by folding strip of cloth into an oval shape and stitch over a colour patchwork. Traditionally patchwork is a blessing for a baby, mother would made a patchwork duvet using clothes gathered from a varies families, wishing the child will have the blessing from these families.
W80xH180mm, Sumatra, Indonesia
Apology for yesterday’s misinformation, this is actually the stopper of the guri guri potion container, a container of magic for the Batak tribe.
The magical potion is known as guri guri, used by the datu to perform good as well as magic with evil intention. The guri guri is one of the most sacred object of the datu. The figurine is a human riding on singa. Singa is a mythological creature that is benevolent and powerful, it is described to be part human, part buffalo, part crocodile.
DIA180mm, Thailand
This is a buffalo bone necklace from Thailand, the beads are not finely polished giving a more natural wooden look. The hook and closure are made with buffalo horn. Buffalo has been a part of the traditional Thai agricultural for a long time, they helped to do the laboriousness task of ploughing the paddy field, a treasure livestock for the farmers. The horns, bones and hide are used for many traditional crafts.
Textile width 380mm, China
We have a collection of the fabric from the Miao tribe, as they are hand woven, unlike the machine woven fabric, their textile width is quite narrow. They are cotton fabric that would be normally used for making garments for the tribe.
W150xD100xH200mm, China
The Chinese cabbage (Brassica Pekinensis) is a basic vegetable consumed by the whole of China, it is not surprising that it will be come a subject for folkart. This pottery cabbage is a wall hanging vase. Chinese cabbage has been documented in Chinese history since the San Guo period (220AD), it became a popular vegetable together with the turnip by 600AD.
W150xH170mm, Indonesia
This is Penthul, friend of Tembem. They are masks for the Jathilan folk dance, a Javanese hobby horse trance dance for exorcising evil spirits showing a battle between good and evil. Jathilan dance is performed to celebrate harvest, weddings; originally it was a rite of passage to adulthood, the child whole mimic riding a horse and crossing over to become an adult.
Penthul and Tembem appears in the first act of the dance, they are the princes from the Kediri Kingdom who were faced by the forest spirits who attacked theirs soldier sending them into a trance.
Mountain Folkcraft 