Title
Phoenix Ornament
Year/Period
early 20th century
Region
Singapore
Material
Dimension
Object size: 1.7 x 2.2 x 0.3 cm
Accession No.
2016-00829
Collection of
Credit Line
Gift of Winson Tan in memory of the late Edward Tan TL
This phoenix ornament in inlaid with rose cut diamonds (intan in Baba Malay) on its body. Phoenixes are important Chinese symbols which represent the female in a wedding. It is likely that this ornament was originally sewn onto a textile such as a ceremonial handkerchief or a wedding headband.This ornament is part of a group donation from descendants of Tan Kim Seng and Tan Jiak Kim. Both were wealthy merchants, philanthropists and leaders of the local Hokkien community.
