Contributed by Lam Pin Foo, SEACS member and President (1999-2002)
Fig. 1: Fine B&W late 18th century spoons and two yellow-coloured spoons of the early 20th century
Fig. 2: A set of fine mid-19th century Nonya spoons, which once graced a prominent Peranakan mansion in Penang
Fig. 3: An assortment of spoons ranging from the late 17th to early 20th century
The Beauty of Chinese Ceramic Spoons is Not Skin Deep.*
Looking back to my thirty-five years’ love affair with collecting antique Chinese ceramic spoons always brings back joyful and exciting memories. I can vividly recall scouring for these much ignored and elusive common dining utensils in three continents. When I first became a novice collector in the late 1960s, I had to endure painful learning experiences which are documented in my blog posting of February 20081. However unpleasant these experiences were, they taught me an indelible lesson in collecting: that it takes years of experience and learning to become a shrewd and cultivated collector, and there are no short cuts.
In the course of [these] three decades, I have left my footprints in three continents in hot pursuit of common Chinese ceramic spoons and these experiences have greatly enriched my life. More importantly, they have given me countless hours of delightful pleasure and will continue to do so in the years to come.
When I first started collecting ceramic spoons, there were very few spoon collectors in Singapore. Three decades later, as far as I know, the number has swelled and is still growing. After years of collecting, I now have about 600 pieces of various categories, colours, shapes, sizes, motifs and qualities. The marvel is that all have a theme or story to tell within such a tiny space. These spoons, crafted and individually painted by human hands, have a beauty which is more than skin deep. They were produced by master craftsmen at a time when there was hardly any time pressure to meet commercial demands. It was also a labour of pride and love for them. It is a miracle that despite their constant usage over such a prolonged period of time, these fragile dining tools have managed to survive in good condition, save for some wear and tear, to be admired and deeply valued by keen collectors of spoons everywhere. Hurray and long live the Chinese spoons!
1 ‘My Reflections on Life’ dated 29 February 2008 at https://lampinfoo.com/2008/02/29/the-joy-and-frustration-of-becoming-an-art-collector/
* The complete article can be found at https://lampinfoo.com/2010/03/31/the-beauty-of-chinese-ceramic-spoons-is-not-skin-deep/
