OFFERING ITEMS ... FUNARY ART

FUNERARY ITEMS

This is the most esoteric part of the collection and about which many a volume could
as has been written.

The costumes are of the finest silk and often decorated with the many symbols
of longevity.

There is much to write about this subject but for which there is no space in this
overview of the collection.

FUNERAL CLOTHES

The clothes the deceased are buried in are limited to 13 layers of textiles (including linings) and consisting of: underwear, morning, afternoon and evening, as well as formal wear. Some of the latter are shown here.

These formal costumes were mostly supplied in pairs, one each for for husband and wife. There are also some matching hats and shoes, but not for all. The date for these costumes is from circa 1930 to 1940, except for one set, which was made during the late 1970s.

This set was among the first shipment of costumes to reach Singapore paper shops after the turmoil of the Cultural Revolution, when production of these costumes was halted.

SHEETS AND BLANKETS

The ‘sheets and blankets’ are burnt during the funeral, and transformed into real textiles, for the deceased’s use in the other world. There they can be used as they would on this world. They are only one aspect of what people burn with their deceased to take with them to the other world.

PAPER SHEETS

These thin, paper sheets were decorated by varying and even mixed techniques, have in common they were all decorated by hand. Various forms of block printing are used. These sheets were used to build a house with. Some sheets represent brick walls, others roofs and yet others depict wall paper or the skies. This house would be burnt at a funeral and, through the fire, transported to the other world where they would be a real house for the deceased to live in.


	CHINESE OFFERING ITEMS
	Mud heads I Funerary art I Fishmen I Papier maché I Embroideries I Incense figures / Head 3D / Puppets I Mixed technique figures and animals Paper cuts I Opera costumes I woodblock prints I Lantern decorations I Paintings for temple and homes I Altar attributes
	Funerary art