Cupboard

Title

Cupboard

Year/Period

around 1935

Region

Acquired in Singapore

Object Type

cupboards (case furniture), mirrors, keys (hardware)

Material

glass (material), wood (plant material), metal, paper (fiber product), ink

Technique

woodworking, glassworking, metalworking

Dimension

Object size: 172.5 x 66.0 x 45.1 cm

Accession No.

2023-00542

Collection of

Peranakan Museum

Credit Line

Gift of Mr Ponnosamy Kalastree

This cupboard belonged to Ramasamy Suppiah (1898-1967), a Peranakan Indian who was serving as Detective Constable in the Straits Settlements Police in 1932 when he was presented with the King’s Police Medal by Sir Cecil Clementi, Governor and Commander-in-Chief of the Straits Settlements and High Commissioner for Malaya from 1930 to 1934. The award was in recognition of his bravery in confronting armed gangs, during which he was wounded. Featuring a hidden drawer, this cupboard was placed in Suppiah’s bedroom at Suppiah Villa, the family home located along Highland Road, Singapore, which he had had built and named. The family lived there from around 1935 to 1947.