My father and my father’s parents led lives that straddled both sides of the Johor-Singapore Causeway. Grandpa, the son of a Penang-based chemist who had migrated from Tamil Nadu, studied medicine at King Edward VII College in Singapore in the 1920s. He met my grandmother, a trained nurse, also in Singapore. They married in 1935, but apparently the union was not seen as ideal by their respective families, for he was brought up a Tamil Catholic and she a Chinese Methodist. As a compromise, they became Anglicans.
Meanwhile, Grandpa’s supervisors at the Medical College thought he would have a bri...
My Dad was the eldest son of a first generation Chinese immigrant and his first wife. My grandfather had two wives. In the old days (pre-1961 Women’s Charter in Singapore), taking a second wife or a concubine was not illegal – first wives didn’t like it of course but generally accepted it with reluctance.
He worked all his life for his father who started a ship chandler business during the post-World War II period. He’d start his day at 4am before sending off an ‘army’ of laborers. He often climbed into holds with the laborers to supervise their work. Every afternoon, he would type out invoice...
TOP LOT/MOST BID-ON LOT
Lot #35
A LARGE TIBETAN THANGKA OF BUDDHA
Estimate: S$1000 - $2000
Number of Bids: 41
HAMMER PRICE: $20,000
MOST COVETED LOT
Lot #111
A CHINESE EMBROIDERED SILK MILITARY RANK BADGE
Wishlist count: 20
Estimate: $250 - $400
Number of Bids: 23
HAMMER PRICE: $1,400
*For all those who ask us, we work this section of our results out according to the number of people who favourited the item - adding it to their 'Wishlist'. It's a great tool! Use yours next time, if you haven't already, and you can access your favourite items quickly and easily when you come to bid.
TOP LOT
A SET OF TEN ENRICO PEILLIZZONI WHITE LEATHER ARMCHAIRS
Estimate: S$400 - $600.
Number of Bids: 31
HAMMER PRICE: $4,200
MOST BID-ON LOT
A GROUP OF NINE ASSORTED ANTIQUE BOOKS
Estimate: $100-150
Hammer Price: $1,300
NUMBER OF BIDS: 34
MOST COVETED LOT
A BNB ITALIA 'DIESIS' CARRARA MARBLE COFFEE TABLE
Wishlist* count: 23
Estimate: $500 - $800
Number of Bids: 18
HAMMER PRICE: $2,400
*For all those who ask us, we work this section of our results out according to the number of people who favourited the item - adding it to their 'Wishlist'. It's a great tool! Use yours next time, if yo...
Last Sunday's sale saw some wonderful pieces go up for auction in our Asian Ceramics and Works of Art auction. Find out what was the big ticket item; which lot generated fierce bidding. We shall see you online, this Sunday from 6pm onwards, for the close of our monthly Home & Decor.
TOP LOT
We do so love a blue and white dragon vase here at Hotlotz! Whilst this particular one wasn't a record-breaker, it was sougt after:
A BLUE, WHITE AND COPPER RED DRAGON BOTTLE VASE
Qing Dynasty, 18th/19th Century. Of pear shape, decorated with a trailing dragon amongst blue clouds. 43cm high
Estimate: $1,5...
Read the latest here from our recent 'Peranakan Works of Art' Sale:
TOP LOT
A PERANAKAN CEREMONIAL BEADED COLLAR
From the collection of Dr Ho Wing Meng. Ceremonial collar with elaborate designs of insects, animals and flowers stitched onto velvet panel Number of Bids: 35 Estimate: $5,000 Hammer Price: $20,000
MOST BID ON ITEM
FOUR PORCELAIN PLATES
With Phoenix, butterfly and floral decoration, three on a celadon ground. The largest plate is 19cm diameter Estimate: $300 Number of Bids: 54 Hammer Price: $5,000
MOST COVETED ITEM
A PERANAKAN PINK GROUND CHUPU
Marked Xu Shun Chang Zao to the bas...
We do so love a single-owner collection. Unusually, due to our packed auction schedule (keep checking our website closely as we have a lot of sales coming up) we had a sale that closed on a Tuesday, rather than our usual Sunday evening.
Our really rather smashing sale results from yesterday's sale, appear below:
Mid 19th Century, circa 1840
Circa 1800. Decorated in the imari palette with a stylised ori...
Imagine drinking from a cup made before the typewriter was invented!
Morning tea, or coffee, just got a lot more interesting. And - considering age - the condition of the collection is incredible.
This handsome teapot was around in 1819 when Raffles landed in Singapore
Shaped oval on conforming stand, decorated with flowerheads, stiff leaves and gilt borders. Old BADA sticker to base. Early-mid 19th century.
Current bid: $160
More info here
In 1813 Jane Austin published Pride & Prejudice: Mr Darcy would have drunk from cups much like these This lot comes with two similar tea cups and saucer...