Object size: Pls refer to individual dimensions
The four illustrations were probably used to decorate bamboo trays used during the Sang Jit or ‘Exchange of Gifts’ ceremony. One sheet is titled Kian Soo (乾书, 'Groom's Documents') and the other is titled Koon Soo ( 坤书, 'Bride's Documents'). The Chinese characters were written in gold leaf on red paper bordered by red, green and yellow bands. The ‘eternity knot’, symbolising longevity and infinity, is one of the Eight Buddhist emblems and is used to decorate the four edges of the two illustrations.The other two sheets are decorated with auspicious Chinese motifs of a pair of qilin and a pair of phoenixes respectively. The phoenix is a mythical long tailed bird that symbolises beauty, grace, high virtue, the bride and the Empress while the qilin is a symbol for virility. The designs mimicked an imperial rank badge and had a decorative border. The sheet titled Kian Soo may have been paired with the illustration of the qilin and fixed to the front and back of a bamboo frame to be used as a tray for the groom’s documents, while the sheet titled Koon Soo may have been paired with the illustrations of the phoenixes and fixed on a separate bamboo frame to be used as a tray for the bride’s documents. These four illustrations are part of the wedding documents concerning the marriage of Pang Choon Jin (1908-1971) and Chew Teck Neo (1912-2001). The groom was the grandson of an eminent translator of Chinese classics into Baba Malay, Pang Teck Joon (1845 – 1928), while the bride was the granddaughter of the prominent businessman Chew Boon Lay (1852 – 1933).Exchange of wedding gifts was an elaborate affair for wealthy Peranakan families in the Straits Settlements (Singapore, Malacca and Penang) during the late 19th to early 20th century. The families would have a grand procession of gift bearers bearing trays of symbolic gifts to mark the union between two families.
