Pair of beaded slippers

Whereas porcelain wares, woodwork, gold and silverwork, and batik, were made by professional craftsmen, beadwork and embroidery were almost exclusively made by Peranakan girls and young women at home.
The beads were mainly imported from Europe, and the bead worker could purchase them locally from klontong, peddlers, or in specialized shops. These coloured glass beads were tiny, often less than 1 mm in diameter. To complete well such a bead or needlework item as the pair of slippers or belt as shown here a girl would have needed a lot of patience; this would indicate that she was a suitable marriage candidate.
These slippers are not ritual objects. The motifs they depict have no symbolic meaning in China, nor are they typically Chinese. The inspiration for the choice of roses on the slippers is more likely to have come from Europe than from China. Even though roses are known in Chinese symbolism as well – they are the emblem of youth – they are not as popular as they are in Europe, where they represent love. This would be an appropriate motif, since beaded slippers were usually part of the bride’s trousseau.

Aceh, Sumatra; first quarter 20th century; glass beads, leather