The “Chupu” is a covered jar with no handles or side knobs. It is also referred to as “Katmau” or “Himcheng”. This piece carries the shop mark “Cheng Yi Tai zao”. It has steep walls, a tapering base and a wide mouth with a bevelled rim. A high domed cover is fitted over it with an inverted emerald green conical finial. The cover and body are decorated with a bright yellow quatrefoil medallion enclosing a scaly green phoenix in flight. This is set against a rose pink background, which is a rare colour used in Nonya ware. However, bright pink sprays of peony blossoms help to add a feel of liveliness to the piece. Peonies symbolise spring, love, beauty and good fortune. Symbols from the Eight auspicious Buddhist Emblems with trailing ribbons on a bright blue background decorate the mouth of the jar and the rim of the cover. The colours used here have positive connotations. Yellow is an auspicious colour associated with festive occasions such as Chinese New Year, but not usually with weddings. Rose pink is symbolic of happiness and longevity, youthfulness and innocence. Although blue is one of the secondary colours associated with mourning, it carries youthful connotations when contrasted with pink or yellow, as is the case here. The Chupu could have been used as a food container and also used for double boiling foods such as herbal soups. As the third type of important ware used in Peranakan Chinese wedding ceremonies, it could have been used to contain delicacies symbolic of marital harmony, such as bird’s nest soup.
