Object size: 22.5 x 20.5 x 20.5 cm
This blue and white covered jar ('kamcheng') has a domed cover featuring a finial in the form of a crouching Buddhist lion. The lid and body are decorated with sweet pea blossoms on a ground of sweet pea foliage, while the lip of the lid and shoulder of the body feature a key fret border. Two pairs of moulded perforated ears bearing the character 'wang' (king) sit below the shoulder and would have supported the kamcheng's two ring handles. This kamcheng belonged to Mdm Tan Quee Kee (1913-1992) who was born in Singapore into a Peranakan family. Her mother gifted her a set of three blue and white kamchengs before her marriage, and she brought them with her to her marital home when she married Mr Ong Bock Kim. They were used for ancestral worship purposes as well as in the kitchen to store condiments such as salt.
