altA Singapore Goverment Agency Website
Contact Us Donate
Aa
A a
alt alt
Menu
Plan Your Visit
What's On
Tours
Family Fun
Learning and Access
Festivals
Events
Lectures
Exhibitions
 

Galleries
Collection
Research
Publications
Explore ACM's Collection at Roots.SG
Learning
Let's Learn About... resources
Pre-school
Primary
Secondary
Tertiary
Educators
Support Us
Make a Gift
Object Donation and Bequests
Become a Volunteer
Our Donors
galleries-level3-stuff1
Support Us

Your gift helps to promote the diverse arts and cultures of Asia.

 

Who We Are
ACM Advisory Board
Venue Hire
  • Home
  • Galleries
  • Maritime Trade and Court & Company Galleries
Trade gallery
Gallery
Maritime Trade and Court & Company Galleries

For thousands of years, the cultures of Asia have traded, interacted, and exchanged ideas. Many works of art in this section show global demand and evidence of shifting tastes as traders moved from region to region. It also tells us how special objects were ...

Trade gallery
View all Galleries
Permanent

Admission

Free for Singaporeans & PRs. Ticketing charges for tourists apply.

More info
Getting here

5 min walk from Raffles Place MRT Station

More info
Gallery Overview

For thousands of years, the cultures of Asia have traded, interacted, and exchanged ideas. Many works of art in this section show global demand and evidence of shifting tastes as traders moved from region to region. It also tells us how special objects were eagerly sought in lands far away, and how new works of art were created through the blending of different sources.

Many of these objects were made primarily for the European markets, but royal courts in China, India, and Southeast Asia were also important patrons and consumers of artworks. Some of these courts formed collections that included works from different cultures. The arrival of Europeans, who set up trading “companies” in many Asian port cities, also spurred production and trades in artworks.

In many cases, objects were produced for trade and export. Other examples document the desire for beauty, or the fascination with exotic materials and techniques. It is useful to be reminded that global networks of trade were already active in Asia two thousand years ago. These encounters between cultures have shaped our world, and affect the way objects look.

Tortoiseshell cabinet
Cabinet and stand
Cabinet: India, Gujarat, ca 1700
Wood, tortoiseshell, silver, ivory,
62.6 x 78 x 54.2 cm
Stand: probably England, ca 1720
Wood, gold, 79.7 x 91.5 x 60.5 cm

This cabinet is veneered with polished tortoiseshell panels backed with gold leaf, which gives the material extra luminosity. The carved and gilded stand was made specifically to support this extraordinary cabinet.

Mother-of-pearl casket
Casket
India, Gujarat, 16th century
Mother-of-pearl, wood, glided silver, 15.5 x 23.5 x 13 cm

The form of this casket is based on a European model commonly seen in the early 16 century. The mother-of-pearl plaques have been cut into nearly identical shapes, and are held in place with silver pins. Great skill and specialised techniques were required to cut and polish mother-of-pearl. Gujarat, in western India, was famous for producing a range of different objects, for both Indian and foreign buyers. Such caskets were typically used to store small valuable items.

Hong bowl
Hong bowl
China, ca 1785
Porcelain, height 15.5cm; diameter 36 cm

Hong bowls were produced by Chinese artists for foreign merchants to take back home as souvenirs of their stay in China. This one shows the lively waterfront of Canton (now Guangzhou), the busiest Chinese port at the end of the 18th century. The buildings along the water are the hongs - offices and residences of Western trading companies. Flags identify the warehouses as British, Dutch, Holy Roman, and Swedish. The American flag is missing, so we assume the bowl was made before the first American company arrived in 1788.


OTHER GALLERIES
  • Gallery
    Ancient Religions
    Masterpieces of sculpture, painting, and ritual objects trace the spread of the grand religions of India – Buddhism, Hinduism, and Jainism, across trade routes from India to China, and on to Southeast Asia.
  • Gallery
    Christian Art
    As Christianity spread across Asia, new works of art were required to convey Christian stories, embellish churches, and motivate new converts.
  • Gallery
    Islamic Art
    Exquisite works of religious art produced by and for Islamic faithful across Asia, with a main focus on Southeast Asia, show how global notions of Islamic art were adapted across the region to create unique visual forms that reflect indigenous influences.
alt

Sign Up Newsletter

SIGN UP
Plan Your Visit What's On
Galleries
Collection Research
Support Us Who We Are

Managed By

Logo NHB
Contact UsFAQs
Report Vulnerability Legal Privacy Statement Terms of Use Rate This Service

© 2021, Government of Singapore

Last Updated on 01 Jun 2020

Keep up to date with all our museums!