Title
Group of ancestral tablets and spirit house
Year/Period
Late 19th century
Region
Singapore
Technique
Accession No.
2006-01676
Collection of
Credit Line
Donated by the family of the late Gan Hock Hye, grandson of Gan Eng Seng
Spirit houses were used to house ancestral tablets, which are believed to be a way through which the living may communicate with the deceased ancestors in the after world. These tablets were made for the Peranakan philanthropist Gan Eng Seng and his parents. Unlike traditional Chinese style spirit houses that are ornately carved, this spirit house was designed in the European Art Nouveau style which was the trend in the late 19th century.
