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2015

  • Work on this object began.

2016

2021

2024

  • You found it!

Vessel XL from the Spotted Nyonya Series Vessel

This is a vessel. It was designed by Hans Tan and manufactured by Hans Tan. It is dated 2015 and we acquired it in 2016. Its medium is porcelain, vitreous enamel. It is a part of the Product Design and Decorative Arts department.

For the Spotted Nyonya series (2011-ongoing), designer Hans Tan uses a batik-inspired technique on traditional Nyonya porcelain vessels to transform the surface into a synthesis of new and old ornament. The series began as a commission from the Economic Development Board of Singapore to produce a set of gifts. Tan chose to work with existing Nyonya porcelain vessels because they resonate with Singaporeans as part of the visual and material culture. The Nyonya vessels are traditional domestic wares of the Chinese Peranakans, a mixed-race community native to Southeast Asia, and are ornamented in polychrome colors—fuchsia pink, bright yellow, turquoise green, cobalt blue—often with a lotus flower or phoenix motif.

Tan adheres a dotted geometric pattern in silicone to the surface of each vessel and sandblasts away the existing decoration. The protected glossy decoration is preserved, while the matte white porcelain beneath is revealed for a contrast of colors and texture. In the covered vessel sought for Cooper Hewitt’s collection, the original lid remains untreated, emphasizing the contrast between the traditional decoration with the modern, graphic surface treatment of the vessel.

This object was donated by Hans Tan. It is credited Gift of Hans Tan.

  • Pair Of Vases
  • porcelain.
  • Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Wiesenberger.
  • 1967-66-3-a,b
  • Ginger Jar Jar
  • porcelain, vitreous enamel.
  • Gift of Mrs. Howard J. Sachs in memory of Mr. Howard J. Sachs.
  • 1977-40-9-a,b
  • Vase Vase
  • hard paste porcelain, vitreous enamel, gold, metal.
  • Museum purchase from Decorative Arts Association Acquisition Fund.
  • 1988-83-1

Our curators have highlighted 13 objects that are related to this one. Here are three of them, selected at random:

  • Soup Plate Soup Plate
  • glazed, painted and gilded moulded porcelain.
  • Museum purchase from Charles E. Sampson Memorial Fund.
  • 2013-39-1

Its dimensions are

H x W x D: 25 × 19 × 19 cm (9 13/16 × 7 1/2 × 7 1/2 in.)

Cite this object as

Vessel XL from the Spotted Nyonya Series Vessel; Designed by Hans Tan; porcelain, vitreous enamel; H x W x D: 25 × 19 × 19 cm (9 13/16 × 7 1/2 × 7 1/2 in.); Gift of Hans Tan; 2016-24-1-a,b

This object was previously on display as a part of the exhibition Beauty—Cooper Hewitt Design Triennial.

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If you would like to cite this object in a Wikipedia article please use the following template:

<ref name=CH>{{cite web |url=https://collection.cooperhewitt.org/objects/69155051/ |title=Vessel XL from the Spotted Nyonya Series Vessel |author=Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum |accessdate=25 April 2024 |publisher=Smithsonian Institution}}</ref>