Antique Chinese Wedding Dowry Baskets

In the past, Chinese being a superstitious lot, believed the date and time you were born determined your character and future. Therefore, it is very important for prospective couples' eight characters of birth time (生辰八字) to match before a wedding can take place. They are very careful about avoiding a bad match.

During the search for a bride, the matchmakers introduce the eligible brides to the groom's family with a profile card that contains details of the bride's family background and the eight characters of birth time. Then, the groom's family would keep the profile of the prospective bride for few days to see if anything bad happens. If none, both families would go to consult a fortune teller to confirm if both parties are a good match.

The next would be the betrothal gift ceremony. Both families would meet up to select an auspicious wedding date, discuss about the wedding and to exchange gifts. After the ceremony, the couple is considered to be betrothed to each other.

Pictures below showing two baskets which were used for the betrothal gift ceremony.


Basket 1

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Length : 48cm, Height : 50cm, Width : 34cm

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Basket 2

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Diameter : 41.5cm, Height : 33cm

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Nyonya Beaded Wedding Purse

Nyonya needlework is a distinctive form of Peranakan Chinese art, but the embroidery and bead work of Straits-born Chinese women tell stories beyond those of their own culture.

With colored beads and silk threads, the combinations are endless.

Pictures below showing another beautiful piece of my Nyonya beaded wedding purse. The motifs were mostly inspired by nature and mythical figures.

Do check out on my previous post about other Nyonya beaded purses.

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Size : 9cm x 14cm

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Mini Brass Betel Nut (Sirih) Box

Pictures below showing a very unique mini brass betel nut box which believed was owned by a native family from Borneo. It was been used as an individual or personal necessity item whereby the owner can easily carrying it while moving around.

Length : 10.5cm, Width : 5cm, Height : 4.5cm

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Blue And White Chrysanthemum Shipwreck Tea Bowl And Saucer

Pictures below is a set of blue and white chrysanthemum shipwreck tea bowl and saucer.

This type of blue and white chrysanthemum shipwreck was lost in the South China sea, late 17th Century AD and recovered in 2014.

The early Kangxi Shipwreck And Cargo Analysis of survey, material and cargo samples from the wreck site indicate that the ship was exporting high quality Chinese porcelain made in the 1660s, possibly on behalf of the Dutch East India Company (VOC). The wares were predominantly Jingdezhen blue and white porcelain, although multi-coloured ceramics and utilitarian wares were also uncovered within the cargo. Some items were display wares whilst others were intended for use.

The porcelain recovered from the wreck was exclusively Chinese ceramics, all assessed by experts to be excellent examples of early Chinese Kangxi in origin indicating they were manufactured in the famous porcelain centre of Jingdezhen in the Jiangsu Province.

Jingdezhen kilns made porcelain over two millennia, since the Han Dynasty. They supplied the most artistically advanced ceramics to the world for centuries. Blue and white porcelain was the most famous product of Jingdezhen, and reached the height of its technical excellence in the early Qing Dynasty. The shipwreck pieces recovered are typical of the highest quality blue and white of the Kangxi period, characterized by charming and sophisticated designs. They demonstrate a great expertise in the production of a brilliant under glaze in sapphire blue, applied in five or six tones to produce a vibrant, dimensionally nuanced effect, together with a fine thin attractive white (or slightly bluish) silky glaze applied to a stark white and finely formed body. The cobalt blue colouring is distinctive on the early Kangxi porcelain and is referred to as ‘gem blue’ or ‘kingfisher blue’, which is much purer and brighter than that of Ming Dynasty wares. These shipwreck pieces provide an insight into the quality of the wares that were carried on board the ship to include items such as figurines as well as a delightful variety of vases, plates, bowls, bottles, jars, teapots, cups with saucers and other items. Large pieces were uncommon during this period, their manufacture being made difficult by quality control requirements.

Designs were sometimes based on Buddhist and Taoist themes, or sourced from illustrations of Ming stories such as ‘The Three Kingdoms’ or ‘The Romance of the west Chamber’ together with the dramas ‘Xixiang Ji’ and ‘Wui Hu Zhuan’. Chinese Kangxi blue and white porcelain was increasingly varied and innovative in its designs. The influence of Dutch and other European shapes and designs were in evidence prior to and during the Kangxi period. The very high standards achieved early in Kangxi’s reign, evident in the samples recovered from the shipwreck, mark the high point of quality for Chinese blue and white ceramics. Quality declined in later stages of the Kangxi Emperors reign, as the huge demand for Chinese blue and white porcelain developed in both overseas and home markets, giving rise to a profusion of unregulated kilns. Quality was diluted by increased production volumes, and as the Qing Dynasty progressed, competition from mass produced wares and the instability of the political environment debased the traditional fine porcelain industry.

Saucer : Diameter : 12cm
Bowl : Diameter : 7.5cm, Height : 4cm

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Antique Chinese Octagonal Lacquered Sweet Meat Box

This is a wonderful Chinese 19th century sweet meat box. It is burgundy lacquer box, with removable lid in octagonal shape with nine bright red removable compartments.

Diameter : 24cm, Height : 8.5cm

Do check on my previous post about the Chinese lacquered sweet meat box.

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Nyonya Wedding Costume 2

I am pleased and proud to own this complete set of Nyonya wedding tunic top and dress. An example of the same pink tunic like this (But just the top) was exhibited in Peranakan Museum in Singapore months back.

It is from Jakarta, Indonesia, around early to mid 20th century, and features various motifs embroidered in gold thread. Indonesian Peranakan wedding costumes tended to be more extravagant than the ones used in Malacca, Penang and Singapore. The costumes were often sewed with pure silver or gold threads with some complemented with unique sequins onto their designs.

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Nyonya Wedding Costume 1

The traditional Peranakan wedding lasted twelve days and consisted of various rituals and rites which reflect their values and rich culture. Some of the wedding rituals included:-
1. The "Lap Chai" ceremony which involved exchanging of gifts between the families of the bride and the groom.
2. The "Chiu Thau" ceremony, a hair-combing ceremony to initiate the bride and groom into adulthood.
3. The "Chim Pang" ceremony which marks the first meeting between the couple where the bride would lead the groom into the bridal chamber where he would unveil her. Together they would be served tea and a bowl of "Kueh Ee" (small white and red dumplings) in a sweet broth.
4. The "Sah Jit" held on the third day of the wedding where the couple would pay respects to their elders and ancestors.
5. The "Chia Sia" ceremony, where the groom’s friends and younger relatives were invited to a celebration in the bridal chamber.
6. The "Dua Belas Hari" or twelfth day ceremony, where the marriage would be confirmed and approved by proof of the bride's virginity. Firstly, the bride's parents would invite the groom's mother to inspect a handkerchief (known as a "Bim Poh") collected from the wedding bed. The handkerchief will be placed on a tray and presented to the groom's mother for inspection, where she would be invited to perform a test by squeezing lime juice on the handkerchief in hope of ascertaining the authenticity of the stain. The groom's mother would normally refrain from performing the test as it would also demean the bride.

However, such elaborate weddings are no longer held today.

The traditional twelve-day Peranakan wedding required different outfits to be worn on different days for the various ceremonies and rituals. Even for a modest wedding, a minimum of two ceremonial dresses would be required; at least one for the first day of the wedding and the other for the final day.

Pictures below is a very unusual turquoise satin top wedding costume which is intricately embroidered with flower motifs. This top is to be worn during the "Dua Belas Hari" ceremony. I was told that it was sewn by a married lady with many children and when taken off after the wedding ceremony, are not to be washed but have to be kept until the owner dies.

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