Title
Nantang Red Lacquered Box
Year/Period
1950s - 60s
Region
China and Singapore
Material
Dimension
Object Size: 21.4 x 40.5 x 40.5 cm
Accession No.
2016-00349
Collection of
Credit Line
Gift of Agnes Tan Kim Lwi
The post-war period saw the establishment of several famous Chinese restaurants in Tua Po (Kreta Ayer area), including Nantang Restaurant at 8 Mosque Street and Da Dong Restaurant, which was just a few doors away on the same street. Judging from the five-digit telephone number on the box, it is possibly dated to the fifties and sixties. It was imported from Hong Kong, with the name of the import company or the lacquerware maker inscribed on its base. The box, made of bamboo and lacquered in an auspicious red, was traditionally used as a container for wedding pastries. The bride’s family would distribute boxes of these to relatives and friends ahead of the wedding, often together with the wedding invitation card.
