Details
CollectionStraits Chinese Collection
Object numberB2008-0014-005-0
TitleMother of Pearl Blackwood Chair (pomegranate design)
DescriptionThe design of two coins on the front apron of the armchair symbolizes wealth. On the backrest, the marble is framed in a wooden border on which there are eight mother-of-pearl inlays that represent the Daoist deities known as the Eight Immortals (Ba Xian, 八仙). Each object is associated with an immortal. When depicted on their own, the objects are referred to as the “Obscure Eight Immortals” (an ba xian, 暗八仙).
The panel beneath the armrest is a carving of a pair of gourds inlaid with marble. Like pea pods, gourds are filled with seeds and are symbols of fertility and continuation of family lineage.
(NUS Baba House, Architecture and Artefacts of a Straits Chinese Home, Page 51)
Object categoryFurniture
Dimensions
H: 102 cm
L: 67.4 cm
D: 54.4 cm
L: 67.4 cm
D: 54.4 cm