Details
CollectionStraits Chinese Collection
Object numberB2008-0011-001-0
TitleCouplet for reception hall altar
DescriptionVerses of a couplet carved on wood flank the altar. They relate the virtues of Guan Gong and Ma Zu, two deities who are widely worshipped in the Chinese community.
In the couplet, Guan Gong is referred to as Fu Zi (夫子) while the goddess Ma Zu (妈祖), who is believed to keep safe those who embark on sea voyages, is addressed as Tian Fei (天妃). On the plaque directly above the altar, the term 靈昭 (ling zhao) refers to ‘having clarity of thought’. It also appears in the titles bestowed upon Ma Zu by various emperors from the Ming and the Qing dynasties.
The couplet reads:
Of the magnificent deeds that shine through heaven, who can claim to have achieved greater merit than Fu Zi?
Of abundant virtue in Meizhou, there is no one more famous than the Heavenly Empress.
(NUS Baba House, Architecture and Artefacts of a Straits Chinese Home, Page 49).
Object categoryPlaque
MaterialWood
Dimensions
H: 211 cm
L: 27 cm
D: 4 cm
L: 27 cm
D: 4 cm
Credit lineGift of Wee Lin
