Kain Songket / Songket Fabric

Songket is a fabric that belongs to the brocade family of textiles of Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei. It is hand-woven in silk or cotton, and intricately patterned with gold or silver threads. The metallic threads stand out against the background cloth to create a shimmering effect. In the weaving process the metallic threads are inserted in between the silk or cotton weft (latitudinal) threads.

The term songket comes from the Malay / Indonesian word "sungkit", which means "to hook". It has something to do with the method of songket making which is to hook and pick a group of threads, and then slip the gold threads in it. Some says that the word songket was derived from "songka", a Palembang cap in which gold threads was first woven. The word "menyongket" means "to embroider with gold or silver threads". Songket is a luxury product traditionally worn during ceremonial occasions as sarong, shoulder cloths or head ties. Tanjak or songket headdresses were worn at the courts of the Malay Sultanates. Traditionally Muslim women and adolescent girls wove songket. However, some boys and men are also weaving today.

Pictures below show the songket fabrics which has been sewn or stitched to make it into sarong from my collection.

Picture 1
Length: 134cm, Width: 75cm

Picture 2

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Picture 4
Length: 184cm, Width: 102cm

Picture 5

Also see the "Kain Limar / Limar Fabric".

Qing Dynasty Bowls From Peranakan Family

The earliest and simplest earthenware used in the Straits settlements was rough and ready blue and white made for domestic use in South China. Later, finer ware was purposely made for export to Southeast Asia, like the shallow bowls from my collection, are the so-called miners' bowls. They were used as rice bowls by tin miners in the Malay Peninsula.

Picture 1
A total of nine Qing dynasty bowls with different sizes.

Picture 2
The largest Qing dynasty bowl in my collection.
Diameter: 17cm, Height: 7cm.

Picture 3
The details of the bowl.

Picture 4
The second largest Qing dynasty bowl in my collection.
Diameter: 16cm, Height: 6cm.

Picture 5
The details of the bowl.

Picture 6
The medium size Qing dynasty bowl in my collection.
Diameter: 15cm, Height: 5.5cm.

Picture 7
The details of the bowl.

Picture 8
The smallest Qing dynasty bowl with a total of six (same sizes) in my collection.
Diameter: 11.5cm, Height: 5cm.

Picture 9
The details of the bowl.

Chinese Repousséd And Chased Silver Snuff Box

Snuff box can be one of the most functional types of decorative boxes, which is now largely a relic of the once popular practice of taking snuff (Snuff is a product made from ground or pulverised tobacco leaves which is an example of smokeless tobacco). These tiny, decorative, utilitarian boxes were an indispensable accessory for many upper class people from the 18th century through the middle of the 19th century. Since prolonged exposure to air causes snuff to dry out and lose its quality, pocket snuff boxes were designed to be airtight containers with strong hinges, generally with enough space for a days' worth of snuff only.

Certain gentlemen, fops and dandies possessed a variety of fancy snuff boxes created by jewellers and enamellers. Some of these were rich in detail and made from precious materials such as gold and silver. Other boxes were more ordinary, which some were even made with potato pulp, the cheapest wood-like material available.

Pictures below show the Chinese silver snuff box from my collection. This small box or container with hinged lid, is almost cubical in shape and is repousséd with typical Chinese plants. The cover is repousséd with a bird, together with copious blossoms and foliage while the sides are repousséd with the Chinese four gracious plants, all against a finely tooled ground.

The four gracious plants, alternately called the four gentlemanly plants or the four seasons symbols, consist of plum blossoms, orchids or wild orchids, chrysanthemums and bamboo. They were originally Confucian symbols for the four qualities of a learned man, but are now more commonly associated with the four seasons. They are plum blossoms which represented courage, the orchid stood for refinement, the chrysanthemum was a sign of a productive and fruitful life, and bamboo represented integrity. In modern times, as mentioned before, the four have come to be associated with the seasons as well which plums blossoms bravely bloom in the cold of an early spring, orchids disseminate a dim fragrance far in the heat of summer, chrysanthemums overcome the first cold of a late fall and bloom, and bamboo bares its green leaves even in the winter.

The base of the box has what appears to be a maker's mark or perhaps a retailer's mark. It is likely the product of silversmiths in Southern China or Chinese silversmiths in Malaysia.

Length : 4.5cm, Width : 4.5cm, Height : 3cm.

Picture 1
Chinese silver snuff box.

Picture 2
Chinese silver snuff box where the lid or cover is opened.

Picture 3
View from the top where the cover is repousséd with a bird, together with copious blossoms and foliage.

Picture 4
View from the side. The plum blossoms.

Picture 5
View from the side. The orchids.

Picture 6
View from the side. The chrysanthemums.

Picture 7
View from the side. The bamboo.

Picture 8
The base of the snuff box with a maker's mark or a retailer's mark.

2 1/2 G Holland Silver 1930 Coin Pendant

Pictures below show a 2 1/2 Guilder Holland silver coin pendant from my collection, year 1930.

The coin design is lightly worn in most places but all the features remain sharp and well defined.

2 1/2 G Holland Silver 1930 Coin Pendant
-Front-

2 1/2 G Holland Silver 1930 Coin Pendant
-Back-

Silver Sleeve / Shoulder Ornaments

Pictures below are a pair of silver sleeve ornaments which are the type of Straits silver work modelled after the shape of a phoenix, although it was never used by the Peranakan Chinese. They were apparently used as sleeve or shoulder ornaments for the bride and groom in traditional Malay wedding ceremonies.

The Straits Chinese versions of this phoenix ornaments, unlike those made in China, do not have long, graceful tails. It was made of beaten silver and the details of the plumage are executed in chased work. Except for the head and the neck which are modelled in the round, the body, wings and tails are made out of broad, flat pieces of silver plates.

Generally, phoenix ornaments of this type appear to have been confined only to the Southern states of Johor, Malacca and Negeri Sembilan.

Picture 1
A pair of sleeve or shoulder ornaments, designed after the fashion of phoenix, reputedly said to have been affixed to the ceremonial costume of the Malay bridegroom. They are the handiwork of old Chinese silversmiths in Johor.

Picture 2
Closer look of the chased work.

Picture 3
Closer look of the chased work.

Picture 4
Bottom view of the ornament, where you can find the two hooks which were used to attach the ornaments to the sleeve of the ceremonial costume.