Two framed original photographs: one of Maharaja Chandra Shumshere, Rana of Nepal, & one of a granddaughter Nepal, circa 1910 Inventory no.: 521 More images & information
Sino-Tibetan or Sino-Mongolian Silver Covered Kalasha Vase China or Tibet 19th century or earlier Inventory no.: 35 More images & information
Etched Brass Ewer Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia 19th-20th century Inventory no.: 480 More images & information
Wooden Printing Block with Tibetan Script Tibet 18th century Inventory no.: 571 More images & information
Copper Monk’s Cap Ewer with Dragon Handle & Makara Spout Tibet 18th century Inventory no.: 861 More images & information
Gold & Silver Overlaid Iron Hook of Compassion (Icags-kyu) Tibet 15th-16th century Inventory no.: 871 More images & information
Two Very Rare Parcel-Gilded ‘Cadogan’ Style Copper & Silver Ritual Wine Ewers Nepal 18th-19th century Inventory no.: 1449 More images & information
Inscribed Bronze Lamp with Aristocratic Patron Devotee Figures Nepal Shah Period, dated Samvat 986 (1830) Inventory no.: 1432 More images & information
Silver & Agate Cigarette Holder Eastern Tibet / Western Sichuan or Yunnan Province, China late 19th century Inventory no.: 1382 More images & information
Man’s Ivory Hair Ring (Pa-so-tre-kho) Tibet 18th-19th century Inventory no.: 1418 More images & information
From where do we source our items? We do not go on buying trips to Asia. Nor do we actively buy from dealers or suppliers based in Asia. We do not source items from India itself for example. Almost all the items stocked by Michael Backman Ltd have been sourced from the UK - from old collections. Countless items were brought to the UK during the colonial era by colonial administrators and the like. Other items were made in Asia for export to the UK – the UK was wealthy early: it has been a major destination for the world’s exports for hundreds of years. This means that most of our items have been in the UK for at least sixty to two hundred years.
The conditions in which they have been kept often has been very good – the climate is kind, and there are relatively few pests. Many items were acquired as keepsakes and curios, meaning that they stopped being used once they came to the UK. This too has helped to preserve them and their conditions often are far better than had they remained in their home countries. Buying from old UK sources means that the items have good provenance; it helps to avoid fakes, and items that have been amended or embellished. It also means that our items are obtained legally – today, most countries in Asia prohibit the export of their antiques. So, because of its colonial past, the UK is perhaps the world’s biggest source of genuine antiques from Asia, perhaps more so than Asia itself, and that is the source into which we tap.
All the items on this page are available for sale. We are based in central London, but sell to clients around the world. Want to enquire about an item on this page? _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Larger Brass Kadam-style Chorten Tibet 15th-16th century Inventory no.: 1990 More images & information
Gilded Brass, Copper & Silver Ritual Water Vessel (Kundika) & Basin Inlaid with Rubies & Turquoise Tibet 18th century Inventory no.: 2088 More images & information