Pair of beaded slippers

This pair of male beaded slippers was found in Myanmar. It was made using glass beads, known as rocaille beads, in France. The face of the slippers is decorated in a grid format, white flowers and swastika sewn within each square. The swastika, known in Baba Malay as banji, is an auspicious Buddhist motif commonly found in Peranakan art. The Peranakan community found in Myanmar is believed to originate in Penang, having settled there as a result of trade within the British empire.