Wovensouls April 6 Debut Auction Features Private Collection of Antique Textiles, Asian Cultural Art 80+ auction lots

include treasures from Tibet, Borneo, Ladakh & Hilltribe cultur es. Singapore, March 13, 2013 -- Discovering and learning about remote Asian culture s has long been a passion of Jaina Mishras. An award-winning photographer and tra velogue writer, Mishra has spent the past 10 years reverently documenting what s he describes as vanishing cultures. While immersing herself in the decade-long ody ssey that took her to faraway mountains and valleys that few tourists visit, Mis hra also collected tribal textiles, jewelry and folk art objects she felt were s pecial. And although she never previously attempted to make her living from the sale of Asian cultural art, Mishra, an MBA whose fascination with distant places and people dates back to her childhood in India, is now taking that logical nex t step. She will share her remarkable finds with the rest of the world in an Apr il 6 online-only auction conducted through LiveAuctioneers.com. Mishra chose the business name Wovensouls because her collection began with text iles and later expanded to include other artforms. Textiles are the woven express ion of the soul of a tribe, so the name appealed to me, she explained. Before formally launching her business, Mishra tested the commercial waters by s elling a few pieces privately. Then, at the end of 2012, came an important break through. Mishra sold a piece to one of the worlds most prestigious museums. That particular sale was a validation to Mishra that she had achieved the level of so phistication required to identify and deal in top-quality Asian cultural art. It made me think, If a top-class museum is buying from me, then the only thing sta nding in the way of Wovensouls becoming a successful venture is my own lack of e ffort. Up until that time, I wasnt really sure if my eye was good enough. I had al ways bought using my eye and instinct, and only once had I bought an item solely because of its provenance or because someone else said it was good, Mishra said. All of the pieces offered in the April 6 auction are from Mishras 10-year persona l collection and nearly all were obtained firsthand during her travels. The care fully assembled auction selection includes jewelry, hand-painted art objects, ma nuscripts and, of course, textiles. The cultures represented are largely Tibetan and Ladakh (an Indian culture influenced by Tibet), with the addition of pieces from Borneo (Dayak), India and the Golden Triangle of northern Thailand, South Vietnam and Laos. The latter region is home to the Yao and Attapeu Hilltribe peo ples. The collection also includes art from the Indian Gujarat culture. Gujarat art is very beautiful and, I believe, undervalued, said Mishra. Some of the Gujarat peopl e are descended from Romany gypsies. Their art is unique and deserves further re search. Among the most impressive items in the sale are three decorative antique peraks, or headdresses, from the Himalayas. Peraks which can weigh as much as 29 lbs. e ach are usually passed down from mother to daughter until there is a generation with no female child. In such cases, the perak is donated to a monastery after a ceremony and subsequently auctioned. Lot 102 is from the Zanskaar Valley and is embellished with old turquoise stones, coral, silver and lapis. Its two side pa nels are adorned with rows of pearls, which are rarely seen in peraks. Estimate: $6,000-$8,000. Another fine Zanskaar Valley perak has similar decorative elemen ts, but with highly prized coral rather than pearls on its side panels. Its esti mate is $8,000-$12,000. The third example is from the Changthang region and has pearl borders along the hood and small, suspended coral chains that serve as a v eil. This particular perak could make $9,000-$12,000.

Lots 113 and 115 are 19th-century Tibetan noblewomens headdresses known as path. Th ese path are very rare. Once they are gone, I doubt Ill ever be able to find any o thers, Mishra noted. Photos of Tibetan path are seen in the Pitt Rivers Museum at the University of Ox ford and in the Schuyler Jones book Tibetan Nomads. Status symbols in their cultur e, path were used to support elaborate hairstyles and typically were enhanced wit h coral, turquoise and pearls. The two examples in Wovensouls auction are estimat ed at $12,000-$16,000 and $10,000-$15,000, respectively. Presale interest has been shown in many lots containing woven Tibetan garments a nd accessories. They include bags and pouches, yak-wool pants, a bridal coat, ka abo cummerbund, and a costume set consisting of a coarse wool chooba and baku. Pabuji-ki-phad are large, beautifully hand-drawn and hand-painted folk art texti les used as a backdrop mural for devotional performances by bhopas. Each narrates a story about the lok deva, or folk gods. Ancestral phads are passed from father to son and used over three or four generations. Lot 131, executed in stunning r ose, green and blue shades, was acquired from one of the few surviving phad arti sts and is estimated at $5,000-$8,000. Lot 132 was created by the renowned phad master artist the late Shri Jadau Chand Shrilal, who work is displayed at the As ian Art Museum in San Francisco. Its estimate is $4,000-$8,000. There are seven palm leaf etchings in the collection, all from Odisha, India. Se veral of these fascinating hand-inscribed works narrate legends or folk tales. O thers relate the story of a journey to Java Sumatra, are etched with writings ab out medicine, or, in one case, display content from the Kama Sutra, therefore cl assifying the etching as erotica. Wovensouls April 6 online-only auction featuring the personal collection of Jaina Mishra will commence at 10 a.m. Pacific Time (1 p.m. Eastern). For questions ab out any item in the sale, e-mail jaina@wovensouls.com or call Singapore 011 659 824 2864. Prompt international shipping. Log on to www.LiveAuctioneers.com to view the fully illustrated catalog and sign up to bid absentee or live online during the April 6 auction. Visit Wovensouls online at www.wovensouls.com. CAPTION: Himalayan perak with old turquoise stones, silver, lapis and coral; Zanskaar Val ley. Estimate $8,000-$12,000. Wovensouls image. Auction online only through www.liveauctioneers.com April 6th 10 AM Pacific, 1 P M Eastern About Wovensouls: All of the pieces offered in the April 6 auction are from Mishras 10-year persona l collection and nearly all were obtained firsthand during her travels. The care fully assembled auction selection includes jewelry, hand-painted art objects, ma nuscripts and, of course, textiles. The cultures represented are largely Tibetan and Ladakh (an Indian culture influenced by Tibet), with the addition of pieces from Borneo (Dayak), India and the Golden Triangle of northern Thailand, South Vietnam and Laos. The latter region is home to the Yao and Attapeu Hilltribe peo ples. The collection also includes art from the Indian Gujarat culture. Contact: Jaina Mishra Wovensouls Blk 162, Yung Ping Road #17-17

Singapore, 610162 Singapore 011-659-824-2864 Jaina@wovensouls.com http://www.wovensouls.com/