Let's Learn About... Beadwork!

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This August, LET’S LEARN ABOUT… Beadwork!

 

What is beadwork?

Beadwork is a technique of stringing beads together and sewing them onto different surfaces like cloth, canvas, or leather to create a pattern. It is a tradition practised in many communities around the world.

Beadwork is an important technique in Peranakan art, used to create clothing, accessories, and other items for daily use. Peranakan women often made smaller pieces of beadwork by themselves, although they were also ordered from China or made by local workshops. The techniques used share important connections with other beadwork traditions in Southeast Asia.

The beads used in Peranakan objects are often made of glass. They can be as small as 1mm in diameter — smaller than the nail on your pinkie finger! Glass beads were ordered from factories in Europe, which began making them in large numbers over two hundred years ago.

Let’s explore some beadwork objects in the ACM collection.

 

OBJECTS IN THE ACM COLLECTION

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Table cover

Penang, around 1920

Cotton needlepoint canvas, European glass seed beads, 126 x 118 cm

Peranakan Museum. Restoration sponsored by BNP Paribas Foundation and BNP Paribas Singapore Branch

2006-01927

 

Beads were used to create many different motifs on this table cover, such as insects, birds, and flowers. Look closely and you’ll notice that few of the designs repeat — most appear only once.

It was used to decorate a table known as a choon tok. The table was placed in the wedding chamber, where a Peranakan bride and groom had their first meal together. Many prized items such as silver and porcelain utensils and tea sets would also have been placed on it. How many beads do you think it took to make it?

Look for the table cover in the Decorative Textiles Gallery on Level 3 of the Peranakan Museum.

 

image highlight
Table cover

Penang, around 1920

Cotton needlepoint canvas, European glass seed beads, 126 x 118 cm

Peranakan Museum. Restoration sponsored by BNP Paribas Foundation and BNP Paribas Singapore Branch

2006-01927

 

Beads were used to create many different motifs on this table cover, such as insects, birds, and flowers. Look closely and you’ll notice that few of the designs repeat — most appear only once.

It was used to decorate a table known as a choon tok. The table was placed in the wedding chamber, where a Peranakan bride and groom had their first meal together. Many prized items such as silver and porcelain utensils and tea sets would also have been placed on it. How many beads do you think it took to make it?

Look for the table cover in the Decorative Textiles Gallery on Level 3 of the Peranakan Museum.

 

image highlight

High heels

Singapore, early 20th century

Glass beads, cotton, 9 x 23.6 cm

National Museum of Singapore

1999-01353

 

Beaded shoes, also known as kasut manek, are often worn by Peranakan women to complement their sarong kebayas. The surfaces were created with colourful beads, which were then sent to a cobbler for the soles to be attached.

The styles of beaded shoes changed over the years. Flat-nose slippers were common until the 1900s. High heels like this were in fashion from the 1930s. There were designs for both men and women, featuring everything from flowers to fairy tale characters like Snow White!

What design would you choose for your own beaded shoes?

Look for the heels as part of the Anak Anak trail at the Peranakan Museum.

 

 

image highlight
High heels

Singapore, early 20th century

Glass beads, cotton, 9 x 23.6 cm

National Museum of Singapore

1999-01353

 

Beaded shoes, also known as kasut manek, are often worn by Peranakan women to complement their sarong kebayas. The surfaces were created with colourful beads, which were then sent to a cobbler for the soles to be attached.

The styles of beaded shoes changed over the years. Flat-nose slippers were common until the 1900s. High heels like this were in fashion from the 1930s. There were designs for both men and women, featuring everything from flowers to fairy tale characters like Snow White!

What design would you choose for your own beaded shoes?

Look for the heels as part of the Anak Anak trail at the Peranakan Museum.

 

 

image highlight

Coat with corals

Andrew Gn

Hommage a Tony Duquette Collection, Spring-Summer 2005

Linen, embroidered glass beads, sequins

2022-00725

 

This coat by Singaporean fashion designer Andrew Gn has sequins and glass beads sewn across its surface, completely covering the linen cloth beneath. The beadwork was produced by a small, highly skilled workshop in France. How long do you think it took them to make? Have you seen similar designs on other works at the museum?

Take a closer look at the coat in the Andrew Gn: Fashioning Singapore and the World special exhibition, on view till 17 September 2023.

 

 

image highlight
Coat with corals

Andrew Gn

Hommage a Tony Duquette Collection, Spring-Summer 2005

Linen, embroidered glass beads, sequins

2022-00725

 

This coat by Singaporean fashion designer Andrew Gn has sequins and glass beads sewn across its surface, completely covering the linen cloth beneath. The beadwork was produced by a small, highly skilled workshop in France. How long do you think it took them to make? Have you seen similar designs on other works at the museum?

Take a closer look at the coat in the Andrew Gn: Fashioning Singapore and the World special exhibition, on view till 17 September 2023.

 

 

CREATE

Make a beaded pipe cleaner butterfly!

Butterfly

Use these materials:

1 wooden clothes peg

3 pipe cleaners

Paint

Beads (choose the size according to the age and ability of the child)

Glue

 

Follow these steps:

  1. Decorate your clothes peg with paint.
  2. Take two pipe cleaners and add beads to each one.
  3. Try to leave an inch at each end of the pipe cleaners without beads, and tie the ends together to create a circle.
  4. Twist the circle to create the butterfly’s wings.
  5. Open the peg and wedge the middle of the wings into the peg.
  6. Use the last pipe cleaner to create the butterfly’s antenna. Create a V-shape and add a single bead to both ends. Twist to tighten the ends so that the beads don’t fall off.

 

And there you have it, your own beaded butterfly! What other creatures or things could you make using beadwork? Remember to tag us @ACM_SG #LearningatACM to share your creations!

  

 

EXPLORE

Visit NHB’s one-stop heritage portal Roots.sg to read more about the objects featured here.

 

Table cover

High heels

 

Come back every month for more resources like this.

Missed a post? We’ve got you a covered; past topics can be found here.

What else would you like to learn about? Tell us here.

 

There’s more!

Check out videos and other e-resources inspired by the objects in the ACM collection.

 

 

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Listen to child-friendly audio clips that inspire close looking and encourage children to engage with ACM objects in a meaningful way.

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