Panel, probably a table cover

Penang, around 1910
Needlepoint canvas embroidered with glass beads
Collection of Dr Roger and Mrs Betty Mariette

This charming panel must have been considered modern and stylish for its time. The patterns were adapted from European needlepoint. The domesticated animals, baskets of temperate flowers, and blond-hair children were much favoured by the Peranakan Chinese.

Around the border is an unusually long tribute to the newlyweds. These verses are from the book Toasts and After Dinner Stories (1900), and show the social conventions of Peranakan Chinese society.