Rare Pair of Straits Chinese / Peranakan Antique Solid Silver Pillow Ends Buntal Plates c.1890

A rare pair of genuine antique Straits Chinese/Peranakan hallmarked solid silver circular bolster-end plates, Malaysia & Singapore, c.1890. These rare Straits silver pieces represent a beautiful fusion of Chinese and Malay cultures. Traditionally used by the Straits Chinese (Chinese communities that settled along the Malacca Strait - modern-day Malaysia and Singapore - in the mid-19th century), such plates were sewn onto both ends of a bolster as adornments for the bridal bed during wedding ceremonies. Each plate is richly decorated with a central flower head surrounded by the flowers of the four seasons, interspersed with two scholars’ emblems and two Taoist emblems, all set against a background of fluttering ribbons and foliate scrollwork. Taoism was, and remains, a principal belief system among the Straits Chinese. One plate is stamped with the Chinese silver mark 足银, which translates as “full/pure silver” and is sometimes found on antique Chinese silver. The other plate bears an artisan’s chop mark. Both plates have been tested and show a high silver purity of over 90%.