Imagine...
... a
box with no apparent way to open it, yet if you know the secret
– you can. One box might take 4 steps, another 54. Now imagine a
store with not a couple, a few, or even a dozen – but nearly
100
of these amazing Japanese
puzzle boxes.
... a
carved wooden jaguar head decorated with over 50,000 beads, each
individually placed, forming intricate patterns. An art form
perfected by the Huichol Indians of Mexico.
... a
tiny basket, so tightly woven that they say it can hold water.
Such are the baskets of the Wounaan Indians of Panama.
... a
sculpture that is half giraffe, half gazelle and just so happens
to be purple and orange. This is the whimsical work known as Alebrijes to the people of Oaxaca, Mexico.
... a gold
lacquer vase that took a master craftsman over a month to
complete. Or a jade sculpture that took 3 months. Or a tiny bottle
with a portrait painted on the inside
Imagine
these items and thousands more, each with a story, waiting to be
discovered. |
|
CHINESE SCROLL PAINTINGS
See our Scroll
Paintings - The art of the Chinese scroll
painting dates back at least 4,000 years. This
art form is considered by many people as the highpoint aesthetically speaking
during the cultural history of China civilization.
The Chinese use special brushes and inks to create calligraphy, which are
the same tools used for the scrolls. |
TAGUA CARVINGS FROM PANAMA
Shop our Tagua
Carvings - Imported directly
from the Native Indian Artists that created these little masterpieces. Choose
from Animals, Fish, Birds, and Reptiles - all native to the country of Panama
that the carvings come from. The
tagua nut has a strong resemblance to animal ivory, making it a wonderful
resource for creating all types of beautiful things.
For many years, the tagua nut was used primarily for making buttons but
with new technology and more affordable materials such as plastics, a decline
began. Even so, the tagua nut still
has value in the making of other things to include chess set pieces, jewelry,
handles for canes, dice, figurines, etc. |
|
|
|
|
Featured Products
KUNA MOLA FROM PANAMA
 Shop our Kuna
Molas - Mola Art, also called Kuna Mola, is an amazing creation by the women of the
Kuna or Cuna tribe from Central America. Living
directly on the San Blas Islands of Panama, these women create some of the most
gorgeous pieces of art imaginable. Using
a special appliqué process called “reverse appliqué” the women take
numerous layers of cloth, each of varying color.
These layers are then stitched together loosely while the top layers are
fine-tipped cut with special scissors. The
cut edges are then folded back at which time they are stitched to the bottom
layer |
CHINESE FANS
 Shop our Chinese
Fans - The Chinese elevated the common
fan to an art form. We know that
leaves and bird feathers were used as early fans but China gets credit for being
the first place where fans were manufactured. |
TEA SETS & TEA POTS
 Shop our Tea
Sets - from Japan, China, and Vietnam that match our
other Japanese Tableware perfectly. Dozens of varieties of Tea
are also available. |
|
|
