Gilt Straits Chinese Chanab

Large Straits Chinese Gilt & Lacquer Chanab

China for the Straits Chinese Market

Gilded and lacquered altar offering platforms or chanabs appear to have been carved in China (in northern Guangdong) and then used locally as well as being exported to Chinese communities in Southeast Asia.

The

chanab was placed in the centre of each Straits Chinese family’s sam kai altar, the most important altar in the family home. The sam kai altar was used for important ceremonies, particularly weddings.

Called a

beet-chien in Penang and a chien-arb or chanab in Malacca and Singapore, offerings of crystallised papaya were placed on top of the chanab as offerings for the God of Heaven.

This

chanab, executed in black and red lacquered and gilded pinewood, is intricately carved with scenes from Chinese legends to one side of the carved, open-work, rectangular box cover and with three panels of conifers and frolicking animals to the other. The ends of the cover also are coved with gilded Chinese scenes.

The cover sits on a stand that is similarly carved and gilded and which has four feet, each of which sits on moveable, splendidly carved Buddhistic lions.

The top of the cover is used for displaying the gilded offering platform and trays. There are three trays – all are present; this example had three trays only. Each is coloured cinnabar-red.

When not in use, the offering platform and trays would have been stored inside the box.

The condition of this

chanab is very good. There is only one loss to a small segment of narrow gilded molding and this has been replaced with a segment of equally old gilded molding. Other than this, the chanab has no losses.

Ho, W.M., Straits Chinese Furniture, Times, 1994.

Khoo J.E.,

The Straits Chinese: A Cultural History, Pepin Press, 1996.

Lee, P. and J. Chen,

Rumah Baba: Life in a Peranakan House, National Heritage Board, Singapore, 1998.

Tan, C.B.,

Chinese Peranakan Heritage in Malaysia and Singapore, Penerbit Fajar Bakti, 1993.

UK art market