Explore ceremonial objects and items relating to medical treatment and self-care from China, India, Tibet, Japan and other countries in the Middle East and Asia.
Asian Medicine
Unknown
Ivory opium pipe, cylindrical with repousse metal mount and terracotta bowl, Chinese
1983
Pair of lace-up shoes for bound feet, in box, with receipt, bought in Kumming, Yunnau Province, China, for 12 Yuan in 1983
1801-1900
Steel tiger claw baghnakh with curved knife blade, Indian, 1801-1900
1700-1850
Tinder pistol in egg-shaped, fenestrated, pierced metal case, twin arms, twin steel worn as netsuke, Japanese, 1700-1850
1771-1900
Painted wooden mask with ear pieces, representing kolam play character Maru Raksha (Marurassa), the Demon of Death, Sinhalese, Sri Lanka, 1771-1900
1771-1910
Carved wooden sanni mask, polychrome, worn in tovil dance to exorcise disease demon, possibly representing Amukku Sanniya, demon associated with vomiting and stomach diseases, Sinhalese, Sri Lanka, 1771-1910
1701-1900
Ivory netsuke in the form of Tanuki, Japanese raccoon dog, carrying his large scrotum. A mischevious figure in Japanese mythology commonly associated with excessive drinking and gluttony, made in Japan, 1701-1900
Earthenware tea pot, Japanese, 18th or 19th century
1870-1910
Pair of shoes with low heel and pointed toe, silk uppers, embroidered in silk thread over paper, worn by Chinese lady with bound feet Chinese, 1870-1910
Opium knife(?), steel, probably Chinese, 1801-1900
1871-1920
Fakir's sandal, wooden with iron spikes through sole and wooden toe peg, India, 1871-1920
before 1929
Carved ivory statue, in the form of an Oriental man and woman engaged in sexual foreplay, Chinese
Wooden netsuke, in the form of a decapitated man's head, Japanese, 1701-1900
1981-1990
Neuro-Softer W-4, low frequency transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulator (TENS) for direct application of current via acupuncture needles, manufactured in Japan, 1980-1990, from the surgery of a British practitioner c.1996.
1850-1918
Bronze inro, elaborately decorated with scenes in inlaid gold and silver, with square netsuke, signed by a maker, Japanese, before 1919
1871-1900
Ivory figure, depicting a doctor feeling the pulse of a woman patient, signed Chikaaki, Japan, late 1800s
Brass lingam, in form of the head of the hindu god Siva, perhaps Nepalese, 1801-1900
1871-1900 (copy); 618-907 CE (original)
Pottery copy of small statue representing Chinese zodiac sign Chou, the ox, original probably Wei or Sui dynasty, 618-907 CE , cast possibly taken in China, 1801-1900
Statue of Kali on prostrate body of Siva, bronze, Nepalese, 1801-1900
1910-1922
Painted plaster model of the head of an executed Chinese criminal, cased, English, 1910-1922
Tobacco pipe for smoking opium, in case decorated with figures and characters in brown lacquer, 1871-1900, Japanese
1880-1925
Kareau figure of carved and painted wood, anthropomorphic, representing standing male with wings and European clothes, from Nicobar Islands, Bay of Bengal, 1880-1925
1725-1730
Acupuncture training model, with bronze acupuncture figure, in silk covered box bearing text of an Imperial decree of Yung Chen, China, c. 1727
Carved and polychrome painted wooden face mask representing Hevaya, the soldier from the kolam play, his yellow face covered with cuts and sores, with leeches applied to them, Sinhalese, 1771-1900
1681
Wooden acupuncture model, Japan, 1681
1751-1800
Ivory syringe from Sri Lanka, late 1700s, It is said to have been a gift to the Royal Physicians by King Keerthi Sri Rajasinghe.
1831-1870
Enema syringe, steel, India, 1800s
Buddhist brass ceremonial dagger, called a pur-ba or phur-bu, Tibetan, 1701-1900. Three sided blade surmounted by three heads of Hayagriva, the horse-necked deity. Used for pinning down demons during healing rituals, and perhaps symbolically for destroying the ego.
Wooden disease mask, in the form of a human face, worn during Sanni Yakuma exorcism ritual to banish demons associated with disease, Sinhalese, Sri Lanka
Bronze statue of Mahakala, killing elephant demon, Nepalese or Tibetan, 1701-1900
Ivory statue depicting the deity Shen Nung, seated on a goat, signed Masahisa, Japanese, 1871-1900
1601-1900
Buddhist prayer wheel of silver and ivory, containing thousands of prayers, Tibetan, 1601-1900
1700-1900
Acupuncture needle, steel and brass, 1700-1900
2005
Copper bowl, Dhara Chatti, with string loop for suspension, used in Ayurvedic Shirodhara therapy, manufactured by The Arya Vaidya Pharmacy Ltd, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India, c2005.
1800-1920
Pottery figure of Shennong (Divine Farmer), China, 1800-1920
Incense burner, metal, in form of fish, Indian, 19th century
2004-2005
Stainless steel nasal dropper, used for inserting medicinal oils into the nose during nasya, and Ayurvedic therapy, supplied by ayurvedaonline.com at The Ayurvedic Academy & Natural Medicine Clinic, Seattle, USA, 2004-2005.
1980-1990
Single phase electronic induction motor, by Hitachi, Tokyo, for Dry Cupping Vacuum Therapy, with twenty glass cupping vessels of various grades, from the surgery of a British practitioner c.1996, unsigned, Japanese, 1980-1990.
1771-1800
Elaborate gilt brass statue of the hindu god Vishnu with his consort Lakshmi, Nepalese, 1771-1800
Bronze incense burner in form of a Baku - a fantastic elephant-like animal - who devoured bad dreams, Japanese, 1801-1900
Opium pipe, with cylindrical bamboo stem, metal and ivory bowl and ivory and amber mouthpiece, Chinese
Brass betel nut cutter in form of Vishnu holding Lakshmi, Indian, 1801-1900
Ivory netsuke, in the form of a skeleton, perhaps representing death, strangling a man, Japanese, 1701-1900
Large 'Roller' needle, known as Gyokusho, in box, used in Shonoshin therapy, a non-invasive form of acupuncture developed for young children, from the surgery of a British practitioner c.1996, manufactured by Kanaken Medical Instruments Inc, Japanese, 1980-1990.
Porcelain statue with wooden base representing Kuan Yin, the goddess of maternity, China, 1701-1900.
Ivory diagnostic figure, reclining on main part of upholstered wooden couch, Chinese
Ivory figure group, possibly a netsuke, in the form of a naked woman and baby boy having just taken a bath, Japanese, 18th or 19th century
before 1922
Wooden statue of Kuan Yin, goddess of mercy and maternity, represented as pregnant, Chinese
1980-1985
Two Ryodoraku needles, contained in pen cases, as developed by Dr Yoshio Nakatani for application to acupuncture points of high electrical conductivity, from the surgery of a British practitioner c.1996, unsigned, Japanese, 1980-1985.
1850-1930
Leather and cloth medicine bag with drawstring, containing 50 small leather bags full of medicine, plus 4 instruments, Tibetan
