Asia is the cradle of numberless cultures of ancient tradition, whose artistic creations have always interested antiquarians, as well as being hosted by major museums from all over the world for a long time. Our selection of articles, though, is focused on expression of material culture, which, although certainly less prestigious than true Asian antiques, is direct testimony of everyday life and traditions still surviving in some rural areas (click here to see objects of everyday use, jewels and textiles from famous museums and private collections). Industrialization and the process of urban concentration, in fact, resulted in a levelling of differences in usages and customs of diverse populations, and in the almost complete disappearance of those textile productions, jewels, objects of everyday use and pieces of furniture which in the past distinguished different ethnic groups. Luckily, though, there are still contexts where traditional handicraft remains important and in some cases handiwork still reaches a good qualitative level, although being more and more often created for commercial purposes rather than for own use.
The choice of our Asian objects follows two main principles: genuineness and traditional manufacturing. From an ethnographic point of view, genuineness refers to the fact that the hand-made object was created by a population for its own use, and not for commercial purposes. This is particularly true for old objects and antiques, presenting patinas, marks of use, repairs and restorations carried out by the same people who created the object. As far as more recent objects are concerned, it is more difficult to ascertain their genuineness from an ethnographic point of view; therefore, we chose those objects which are made according to traditional manufacturing techniques. In this way we try to protect such cultural expression which otherwise would risk extinction. The objects we propose, then, range from traditional handicrafts to original Asian antiques. Objects are purchased either in Asia or from European dealers. Each piece is unique and cannot be reproduced.

All prices are in Euro and include 20% VAT. Goods purchased by people who are not resident in the European Union are not subject to VAT, therefore it must be deducted from the given price (price for non-European citizens is equal to= given price : 1,2). Prices do not include shipping, which depends on the type of object purchased, its weight and the delivery address, and therefore will be communicated afterwards. If you wish to receive a detailed description of an object in French, English or German, please contact info@craftart.it.

CERTIFICATION: A detailed description, as published on the web site, is provided with the purchased item, together with the delivery note. If it is possible, we specify the approximate age, which is to be understood as follows:
old: dating back from 40 to 100 years;
antique: dating back to more than 100 years;
recent: less than 40 years old.

WITHDRAWAL RIGHT: If the customer, after the delivery of the purchased items, is not fully satisfied with them, he is granted the right to return them, paying only shipping charges for the delivery to its home and return to our warehouse, in any case with no need to justify his decision (please return the delivery note and our receipt together with the goods). This right can be exercised within 14 days from receipt of goods. As soon as the returned goods are delivered at our premises, and after checking that they are not damaged, we will immediately refund the purchase price (net of shipping charges) by means of bank transfer.

ORDER CONFIRMATION AND PAYMENT CONDITIONS: we suggest to customers making their first order to Craft Art and wishing to examine the goods before paying to make use of Escrow, a payment service which allows a secure transaction for both customer and seller; in fact: 1) The customer reaches an agreement upon price and conditions directly with the seller; 2) the customer pays the agreed price to Escrow (not to the seller) by whatever means he prefers (credit card, bank transfer, postal order, cheque or cash); 3) the seller ships the goods; 4) the customer has 14 days at its disposal, in order to examine the goods and approve them; 5) once the customer confirmed his approval of the goods, Escrow transfers the money to the seller. If the customer, after examining the goods, does not find them satisfactory and wants to return them, Escrow refunds the purchase price immediately (net of shipping charges).
For further information, please visit www.escrow-europa.com
Service fees are charged to the customer’s account, please check fees on http://www.escrow-europa.com/escrow/english/finfaq.htm#costi

Alternatively, the customer may decide to pay by means of direct bank transfer to the seller’s bank account (the right to return the goods within 14 days from receipt remains valid in this case also). In this case, the customer is kindly asked to credit with the total price, including shipping charges, the following bank account:
Bank: BANCA CREMONESE
Branch: Soresina (CR)
Country code: IT
Cin iban: 74
Cin bban: T
Abi: 08454
Cab: 57180
Account no.: 000000014712
Swift code: ICRA IT MM CM0
Upon notification by our bank of receipt of your transfer, we will immediately arrange the shipment of the goods (if they are in stock) or forward your order to the craftsman who will manufacture them (delivery times may vary, and are agreed upon on a single basis before the order is placed).
It is also possible to order the items cash on delivery.

SHIPPING: shipping of goods is normally made by courier. If the distance makes it possible, we can carry out the delivery personally.

WITHDRAWAL RIGHT: If the customer, after the delivery of the purchased items, is not fully satisfied with them, he is granted the right to return them, paying only shipping charges for the delivery to its home and return to our warehouse, in any case with no need to justify his decision (please return the delivery note and our receipt together with the goods). This right can be exercised within 14 days from receipt of goods. As soon as the returned goods are delivered at our premises, and after checking that they are not damaged, we will immediately refund the purchase price (net of shipping charges) by means of bank transfer.

For further information, please contact: info@craftart.it