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Royal Selangor's Peony collection celebrates the fusion that is Southeast Asia's Peranakan culture. Although a nineteenth century term, 'Peranakan' can describe a melding of the cultures of China and the Malay Archipelago which dates back to the fifteenth century, resulting in a true amalgamation of language, cuisine, costume and aesthetic iconography.
Many floral motifs feature in Peranakan objects, but use of the lush peony blossom is dominant. Held in high regard by the Chinese, the peony symbolises feminine beauty, love and affection, good fortune and nobility. The peony motif in Royal Selangor's collection derives from examples found on Peranakan porcelain, and borrows from the graphic treatment of batik, another aspect of the Malay world embraced by the community.
Bold in scale, the flamboyant peony appears on photoframes, coasters, a tea caddy, toothpick holder, tumbler, lidded box, and an elegant bag hook. The large centrepiece vase of the collection combines the peony with another distinctive Peranakan decorative motif, the phoenix. |
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