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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.

Isis/Horus amulet

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

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.

Bronze Corinthian helmet. Greece. Approximately 700 BC

Coarse Roman pottery. Two handled storage jug (amphora) from excavations in Roman London.

Coarse Roman pottery. Single-handled flagon from excavations in Roman London.

Complete kaitaka patea cloak. Woven from muka (flax fibre) with horizontal aho (wefts). Narrow wool taniko borders on the side edges and a broad border on the bottom. Taniko is woven in black and white chevron and diamond pattern, with triangles in red, pink, green, and blue; faded throughout. The body of the cloak and the top border are undecorated.

Broken ribbonwood piupiu. A section of proper left tags missing. The tags have been arranged in alternating vertical lines of undyed and dyed (red and dark purple) bands. These tags are accompanied by four 3 ply whiri (plaits). The proper left whiri is missing. The whiri are dyed red and purple, with one whenu (strand) left undyed. The waistband is approximately 7cm wide with three weft weaves. The front of the waistband has been covered with a decorative twill (diagonal weave). The waistband has a decorative edging at the top, attached using cotton thread. At each end of the waistband a 4 ply whiri extension of different fibre has been attached. One detached tag accompanies the garment.