This is a small, simple censer used by Peranakans on an ancestral altar. The shape of the censer is a typical Chinese form, with the Chinese characters engraved on the front. This form of the censer is reminiscent of archaic bronze vessels. This item is donated by the family of prominent Peranakan, Ong Sam Leong (b. 1857, Singapore – d. 7 February 1918, Singapore). It comes from his ancestral home of Bukit Rose, formerly at 259 Bukit Timah Road. Ong was a well-known successful businessman who made is money in the mining of phosphate on Christmas island, which was historically a territory of colonial Singapore.
