From Terracotta to the finest Porcelain our ancient ancestors discovered that digging up clay, shaping it and then subjecting it to intense heat created a myriad of vessels, plaques, statuettes and historical documents. Today we use ceramic materials for basic dishware to spaceship re-entry heat shields. This lovely Mohenjo Daro pot is 178 mm (7") High and 4000 years old.
Ubiquitous and durable, stone has been mankind's material of choice for tools and weapons, religious icons and amulets, statues and awe inspiring engineered structures since our humble beginnings over 2.5 million years ago. The smelting of copper hastened the end of the Stone Age around 3300 BC but many wonderful items were produced both during and after that long era. This 500 year old solid granite tent weight from Afghanistan is hefty and cool.
Arguably wood was the first material that earliest man cut, carved, shaped and sanded into weapons, utensils, vessels, icons and items of adornment. Unfortunately the very characteristic of wood being relatively soft and easy to alter by hand made it vulnerable to fire and insects as well as rot and weather and water. It's easy to preserve wood now but most old stuff is gone. This 1950's rhinocerus is 9 inches high and 17 inches long.
Glass can be formed into virtually any shape and has been used since it's creation for both form and function. Being non-porous it has traditionally been put to use as bowls, drinking glasses, bottles and vases to contain liquids. When formed as a solid material it has been used for a sundry of items like marbles, paperweights and beads. As glass is both reflective and refractive these attributes can be enhanced with cutting and polishing in order to make fine glassware, prisms and optical lenses. Art, form and function all in one inexpensive, colorful easily blown and molded material! This 16 inch tall, sensual female torso is from Murano.
Harder than wood but softer than stone, bone was a popular carving medium for our ancestors. All of the cultures of the world made use of antler, bone and horn to make tools and weapons and all manner of personal items like the mythic 'Leda and the Swan' bone pendant shown here. It measures 63 mm ( 2.5" ) by 32 mm (1.25" ) and sports a generous satiny patina.
Flax, wool, cotton and silk have been the primary materials of hand woven blankets, clothing, baskets, carpets, saddle bags, tents, and hangings. Weavings date to the Neolithic age in Africa 9,000 years ago. Fibers have been dyed and then knotted by hand or woven into fabrics using simple to complex looms for eons. Passed down from generation to generation, ancient techniques and styles still thrive today ~ they are woven into the fabric of our cultures. This contemporary hand-felted wool piece is 31 inches by 44 inches.
Nothing gets the evolution debate going like a good fossil. Just holding the rock-solid remains of a Mastadon tusk or the perfectly preserved tooth of a 50 foot beast of a shark called Megladon is awe inspiring to me. Take a look at the beautifully opalized shells of ocean dwelling creatures called ammonites that thrived for 300 million years. That is a long time. This beautiful tooth once belonged to a massive 50 foot shark called a megladon.
This market has a little bit of everything from ancient to modern. Offerings include basic block prints to chromolithographs, and oil paintings to photographs. It also includes two interesting mosaics. The first is a large Roman masterpiece of a Leaping Lioness from the 4th centry AD. The second is a smaller and cleverly crafted vintage mosaic using ancient pottery shards, glass bracelets and bronze implements that were all found by the artist and her husband in the deserts of Saudi Arabia (Great Nafud, Dahna and Jafurah). This one-of-a-kind mosaic is signed "V. Deiness 8/67"
and measures 35 inches by 25 inches.
The Souk Topia Gemstone market contains high quality colored gemstones with superior cutting. Portuguese round cut stones are particularly featured because they have tons of facets. Mandarin Garnets, Yellow and Pink Sapphires, Star Saphires, Tourmalines, dark blue Tanzanites, Aquamarines, Topaz, Tsavorites and Peridots all well cut and polished and ready to be custom mounted or stashed away.
This 163 facet, 11.67 carat Mandarin Garnet is nearly flawless.
Ancient to modern. Luxurious to simple. Most mounted with semi-precious and precious stones, highly faceted to cabochon. Whether it's a ring, bracelet, pendant or necklace, most pieces are made from 18K gold. Some are 14K gold, sterling silver or coin silver. Soukwoman and I are big fans of quality jewelry and we enjoy sharing unique designs and craftsmanship. When you love it, you know it and that's what counts with jewelry! This is an exceptional emerald cut Mandarin and Diamond ring set in 18K white gold.
This market is primarily a catch-all of interesting collectibles from the 17th century to the 21st century. Many are political in nature. I've been a collector of American presidential political items since 1980 when someone gave me an "I Like Ike" button as a lark. Decades later, I have a ton of items including this rare and beautiful natural cow horn, engraved American cup made in 1817. It's motif's describe love of country and pride in it's military might. It is a beauty.
Sometimes an item is unique enough that it's difficult to place it in one of the other Souk Topia markets. Several items here are cross referenced but others like this handmade papermáche bowl just have to have their own market. Look here for unique items that have artistic qualities all their own.