Tile panel with qilin

Title

Year/Period

1960s

Region

Found in Singapore

Object Type

tiles (object genre)

Material

ceramic (material), paint (coating)

Technique

pottery techniques, painting (image-making)

Dimension

Object size: 40.0 x 74.0 x 18.0 cm

Accession No.

2021-00118

Collection of

Asian Civilisations Museum

Several graves at Bukit Brown Cemetery were decorated with painted ceramic tiles featuring either idyllic scenes of foreign landscapes or mythical creatures. Some graves featured a combination of both types of imagery. This manner of decorating the tomb arms of a grave was popular in the 1960s. This panel features the qilin, one of the most popular mythical beasts in Chinese culture as people believed that they appeared in times of peace and prosperity. The qilin was paired with the dragon in the ornamentation of this grave.