Gilded Silver & Blue Glass Ear Pendants
Islamic Katawaz Peoples Pakistan/Afghanistan
19th century
Inventory no.: 596
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Two framed original photographs: one of Maharaja Chandra Shumshere, Rana of Nepal, & one of a granddaughter
Nepal, circa 1910
Inventory no.: 521
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Sino-Tibetan or Sino-Mongolian Silver Covered Kalasha Vase
China or Tibet
19th century or earlier
Inventory no.: 35
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Brass & Wood Inscribed Yak Butter Tea Urn
Tibet
circa 19th century (Iron Horse year)
Inventory no.: 869
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Portable Bamboo Butter Tea Churn (Mdong Mo)
with Engraved Silver Mounts
Tibet
early 20th century
Inventory no.: 1197
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Two Very Rare Parcel-Gilded ‘Cadogan’ Style Copper & Silver Ritual Wine Ewers
Nepal
18th-19th century
Inventory no.: 1449
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Inscribed Bronze Lamp with Aristocratic Patron Devotee Figures
Nepal
Shah Period, dated Samvat 986 (1830)
Inventory no.: 1432
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Turquoise, Pearl & Gold Official’s Ear Pendant (Sochi), & Iron Case
Lhasa,Tibet
circa 1900
Inventory no.: 1438
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Silver & Agate Cigarette Holder
Eastern Tibet / Western Sichuan or Yunnan Province, China
late 19th century
Inventory no.: 1382
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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.
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Pair of Temple Banners in Chinese Silk Brocade
Mongolia
late 19th-early 20th century
Inventory no.: 1565
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