Baba Nonya Porcelain Tea Cup

Fine Straits Chinese Tea Cup

China but for the Straits Chinese Market

late 19th – early 20th century

diameter: 7cm

height: 4cm

This cup is finely modelled in translucent porcelain. The exterior is elegantly enamelled with pink peonies, framed by a pink-ground border of lotus and Buddhistic emblems and a scalloped, gilded rim. The base of the interior is enamelled with a small peony bloom.

The base is stamped in Chinese with ‘Salak Yu Xing Long’ – a name which appears to be a retailer’s name. The mention of ‘Salak’ is suggestive of Singapore – it was the old Hokkien name for Singapore. This is a rare and perhaps hitherto unrecorded mark.

The cup most probably belonged to a set of porcelain commission from China by a wealthy Malacca or Singapore baba family for an elaborate wedding.

Inventory no.: 622

SOLD