Title
Altar cloth
Year/Period
Late 19th-early 20th centuries
Region
China
Dimension
Object size: H:100.3 x W:103.6 cm (w/o strap)
Accession No.
2007-53420
Collection of
Tok Wi is Baba Malay term used to refer to a cloth attached to the front of altars on significant occasions like weddings, funerals and feast days. The Chinese term for tok wi is 桌裙 zhuoqun, or ‘altar skirt’. This piece is an example used by the Peranakan Chinese in Singapore and Indonesia. They were made in China, probably from the late 19th century to early 20th century, with embroidered silk threads and metallic thread couching on a silk base.Chinese figurative scenes were frequent motifs employed on pieces that were used in temples and during the seventh lunar month observance. A red base often denoted that the piece was used for a festive occasion like a wedding, birthday or Chinese New Year.
