Nonya Beadwork

Pair of Beaded Slipper (Kasut Manek) Faces

This pair of beaded slipper faces, made to be used as the toe covers for a pair of slippers to be worn by a Straits Chinese woman or nonya, most probably to a traditional Straits Chinese wedding, are decorated with multi-coloured rocaille glass beads so that each face shows a humming bird in flight amid sprays of peony blooms against a turquoise bead background. The two are a genuine pair – the patterns are the reverse of each other with the two birds facing opposite directions.

The beads have been sewn to a layer of stiffened fabric which has been attached to a layer of hand-made, unmarked paper, then to more fabric, and finally to a thin layer of leather. The ensemble has been finished with bright blue cotton edging.

The beadwork is in excellent condition. There are no losses and the beads have remained bright and lustrous.

Rocaille beads were made in southern France and were widely used in Singapore and the other Straits Settlements for beading slippers, wedding pillow ends, betel set mats and other paraphernalia associated with baba/nonya culture. The Straits Chinese referred to the beads as

manek potong (‘cut beads’) and acquired them from street peddlers and specialist merchants for the purpose of beading and embroidery.