World

Japanese lacquerware smoking cabinet, Portable cabinets to hold pipe smoking accessories were common in Japanese homes and shops in the 19th century. Fitted with three drawers, this example is decorated on all four sides with auspicious symbols and domestic scenes. The containers on top were probably intended to hold ash and coals used for lighting the tobacco.

Cut pile embroidered raffia cloth., These textiles are made by the Kuba people of the Kasai river area of Central Zaire. A plain weave raffia fabric was woven by the men and embroidered by the women with great accuracy and skill. The fine lines of the design are stitched with dyed raffia and the pile areas are stitched with groups of fine raffia fibres which are then cut to short even lengths. The abstract designs are often similar to wood carvings, house decorations and the ritual body scars of both men and women. These cloths display wealth and prestige on ceremonial occasions. They assume great importance at funerals where they reaffirm enduring social relationships and, as burial cloths, indicate adherence to belief in after life.

Beaded woman's circlet headband

Beaded woman's circlet headband

These arrows and quiver were used with a blowpipe for hunting.

The canine teeth of the Clouded leopard, native to Sarawak, were highly prized by the Iban., They were often fashioned into men’s ear ornaments such as this beaded ear ornament. The skins of the Clouded leopard were used as ceremonial coats and seating mats. Today, the Clouded leopard is listed as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as its numbers have declined due to hunting and illegal poaching.

For hundreds of years, the Iban people have carved the highly prized beaks of the Helmeted hornbill bird into jewellery, such as the earring and ear ornament displayed here., The Iban also traded unprocessed Helmeted hornbill beaks with the Chinese people, exchanging the beaks for beads, iron, cash, crockery and large decorative jars. The Chinese coloured the beaks using the preen gland o f the Helmeted hornbill and carved them into belt buckles for high ranking officials. In the 14th century, the Chinese regarded Helmeted hornbill beaks as more valuable than jade.

For hundreds of years, the Iban people have carved the highly prized beaks of the Helmeted hornbill bird into jewellery, such as the earring and ear ornament displayed here., The Iban also traded unprocessed Helmeted hornbill beaks with the Chinese people, exchanging the beaks for beads, iron, cash, crockery and large decorative jars. The Chinese coloured the beaks using the preen gland o f the Helmeted hornbill and carved them into belt buckles for high ranking officials. In the 14th century, the Chinese regarded Helmeted hornbill beaks as more valuable than jade.

Edible bird’s nests are made by the Black nest swiftlet and the White nest swiftlet, both of which are found in South East Asia., The nests are made from a glutinous solution that is spat out in the saliva of these birds and are claimed to relieve many medical ailments. For around 1,200 years, the Chinese people have eaten the nests in soup.