Mandarin Mansion

18/10/2026

16/10/2026

You wanted some chiseling sir?

15/10/2026

The king of Banjarmasin parang beladah.
Only a few of this quality are known. More later!

13/10/2026

Now that's a kozuka!

13/10/2026

This came out of the studio nicely if I may say so!

Niō school, Ōei period (1394-1428). Known for the whitish tone of the steel, which is well visible here. Guardian horimono are of the period as per the jūyō setsumei.

More later.

10/10/2026

Tibetan pierced iron. I'm not sure what these are. Door mounts? Horse harness mounts? Whatever they are, they are beautiful. Bold, and striking work. The tendrils overlap in three layers.

This is the type of work that came to China through tribute from Tibetan and Mongolian envoys and inspired the Qing imperial style, which in turn made it to Nagasaki where it inspired the nanban genre. I love to study how these styles traveled and how influence spread. The Tibetans, in turn, were strongly inspired by earlier Persian pierced work but gave it their very own, more Eastern twist, incorporating Chinese dragons and other typical East Asian decorative elements.

08/10/2026

This is the only Dutch-made sirih set I am aware of. It was commissioned as a farewell present for Colonel E.C. van Daalen who between 1862-68 was military commander at the Padang Highlands.

The goodbye event is described in a 1868 Sumatran newspaper and speaks of a special "souvenir" presented during his farewell party, which probably refers to this very piece. Article in Dutch in the last photo.

07/10/2026

Me at the PAN art show buildup in 2022 with a Thai royal pole arm. Impressive piece from a set of two.

The 2026 edition will open soon at the 1st of November. I’ll have some other interesting items to debut at the show.

06/10/2026

The perfect fit of a good Persian scabbard.
Precisely because they are so minimalistic, they often did not survive.