Title
Belt and buckle
Year/Period
Early-mid 20th century
Region
Straits Settlements
Object Type
Dimension
Object size: L73.0 x W3.0cm
Accession No.
XXXX-07717
Collection of
Silver link belts like this example were worn by most Peranakan women (Nonyas). They come in various lengths for women of different girth, while the width of the belts range from three to six rows of silver links. The longer belts are not necessarily wider. It is likely that belts of different widths were made to the Nonyas’ personal preference and did not serve a particular function. It was not uncommon for Nonyas to have a few different inter-changeable belt buckles made of silver and gold, which they would use for different occasions. Wealthy Nonyas sometimes also had more elaborate, specially ordered belts made of solid gold.
