The Kumar Collection at Auction
Theodore Bruce is delighted to offer the Kumar Collection of Chinese & Southeast Asian Antiques. Compiled over several decades, the collection includes antique figures & heads, decorative horses, wedding boxes & basketware, fabrics, furniture, Famille Rose porcelain, opium pipes & other objects sourced from India, Thailand, Cambodia, Hong Kong, Taiwan & further afield.
Auction Sunday 20 November
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The seeds of a collection
Charmaine & Shanti Kumar migrated to Australia in 1974, bringing with them a 20ft container of antiques from their ancestral homes. Among the items was Dutch & Sri Lankan antique furniture, exquisitely crafted from jackwood & ebony.
From this beginning, Charmaine & Shanti continued to build a collection of objects & furniture, gathered over decades whilst living & travelling across Asia.
The couple moved to Hong Kong in 1994, and Shanti held regional jobs in Taipei, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok & Phnom Penh. They also travelled widely in India, Nepal, Pakistan, Thailand & Cambodia, adding to their collection with each journey.
Discovering a world of Asian antiques
The Kumar Collection is an eclectic selection of high quality objects from Asia and further afield.
The beautiful Antique Chinese Emperors Chair was acquired in Macao. The antique statues of the three Chinese wooden Gods were purchased in Hangzhou. And the incredible collection of Buddha Heads was sourced from leading dealers across Asia. The couple found the unusual & unique Marble Buddha Head in an antique store in Goa in 1996.
In Taipai, Charmaine & Shanti purchased a wonderful collection of Antique Chinese Tiffin Carriers – sold by a family whose parents had carried the objects when fleeing China in the 1940s.
The Rare 19th Century Indian Claw footed Bridal Coffer with Bone & Gilt Inlay was uncovered in Rajasthan in the early ‘90s. And the large selection of knives & horses was accumulated from several cities in the Middle East & Asia.
Uncovering hidden gems
On one of their trips to India, Charmaine & Shanti paid a visit to the country’s leading antique dealer, Natesans Antiqarts, in Bangalore.
It was here they purchased two very special pieces. The first is a 4ft 9in bronze statue of the Hindu goddess Parvati. The second; the fragment of an 18th century wooden chariot from Tanjore in Tamil Nadu, featuring the demon, Poothana.
Now looking to downsize, Charmaine & Shanti are bringing to auction a large selection of objects, each imbued with its own wonderful story.
Auction Details
The Kumar Collection | Southeast Asian & Chinese Antiquities
On-Site | Cammeray
20 November | Closing 11am
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Theodore Bruce offers regular auction of Asian decorative arts. Please join our mailing list below to stay informed, or keep an eye on our Upcoming Auctions.
An Antique Japanese Amida Nyorai Brass Bronze Meditation Buddha Statue, 19th/ 20th Century
An Antique Indian Wedding Chest with Bone Tessellated Veneer & Gilt Painted Detail, Late 19th/Early 20th Century
A Large Chinese Famille Rose Ginger Jar with Central Figural & Medalion Enamels, Qing Dynasty, 19th Century
Three Chinese Intricately Carved Timber & Polychrome Fu Lu Shou Immortal Figures, Early 20th Century
A Cambodian Bronze Buddha Head, 19th/ 20th Century
A Chinese Lacquerware Hexagonal Marriage Box with Gilt Chrysanthemum Detail,19th Century
A Thai Earthen Globular Vase with Incissed Geometric Design
A Bangalore Carved Timber Polychrome Figure of a Horse, Early 20th Century
A Japanese Carved Opium Pipe with Three Incised Fu Shu Lou Figural Carvings, 20th Century