This chupu-style covered container painted with bold floral motifs was found in an exhumed grave in Bukit Brown Cemetery. The chupu is a porcelain vessel often seen in Peranakan households, which was used during celebratory occasions to serve specially prepared foods.This object was recovered from the joint grave that belonged to Mr Low Kim Swee (刘金水) and his wife, Mdm Lim Tit Neo (林直娘). Mr Low passed away on 5 July 1941 while the death date of Mdm Lim is unknown. The practice of burying everyday objects with the deceased originated in ancient China and continued to be observed by overseas Chinese communities. These objects were intended to satisfy the needs of the deceased and/or provide them with a comfortable afterlife. Located in the central part of Singapore, Bukit Brown Cemetery was officially opened on 1 January 1922 by the British colonial government as a public cemetery for non-Christian Chinese. It came to house an estimated 100,000 graves before it was officially closed to burials in 1973.
