STRAITS antique chinese porcelain bowl peranakan singapore baba nyonya turtle

  
As described below, the box supports this theory. Aquarium for Chinese Box Turtles. When filled with about a 1/2 of water the three peony blossoms become'islands' for the small aquatic turtles to climb and rest. The bowl's wide rim is an eye popping sea-of-blue and turbulent ocean waves decorate the exterior. The interior imperial yellow wall is decorated with floral & fauna (Chinese box turtle food).

The rarity of the form suggest it was privately commissioned. It might have been signed on the bottom but the signature is no longer readable (see pic 9 above). The unreadable signature is suspicious: it's recessed, so why is it worn away? Was it removed because it was personal family information? Or, it could be that we are just imagining that we see a signature?

Another observation is that while the bowl is in excellent condition, the brocade box shows excessive wear. Someone has opened & closed the box many 100s of times.

The bowl was repeatedly brought out for display. Under what circumstances would that happen? It came out of an old Seattle estate and there was every indication that it had been part of that estate for the better part of a century. Each morning the fair exhibitor would take it out of the box and set it up for display.

At the close of the day the exhibitor would put the live turtles away for the night, rinse the bowl and put it back into its box'til the next morning. Repeating this cycle each day of the four month long fair. But we can only speculate: there is no evidence that this was displayed at this particular fair, our theory just explains the excessive wear to the box. Large and impressive, measures about 14" across the rim and stands 3" high. A five pound sterling silver " Bug Basket " from Buckingham Palace, the most-prized possession of the last reigning monarch of The Kingdom of Hawai'i, an artifact from The White House and Porcellian Club (the birthplace of Facebook), the first man to the moon's 1st appearance in Space and an 1885 New York City "Sitting Bull" Cigar Store Indian are but a few of our most interesting pieces. Presidents, a Prime Minister and other Heads of State, Middle Eastern & European monarchs, museums, Hollywood celebrities, billionaire software & oil tycoons and the World's leading interior decorators & designers. The best way to view our store is by'highest prices first'. The item "STRAITS antique chinese porcelain bowl peranakan singapore baba nyonya turtle" is in sale since Monday, November 12, 2018. This item is in the category "Collectibles\Cultures & Ethnicities\Asian\1900-Now\Chinese\Figures & Statues". The seller is "wetinwashington" and is located in Tracyton, Washington.

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