Peranakan Museum

Auspicious Designs
BATIK FOR PERANAKAN ALTARS


Colorful and imaginative, batik altar cloths blend traditions and influences. Altar cloths - called tok wi by Peranakans - decorate the fronts of altars during important ceremonies, and reflect the strong ritual elements of Chinese Peranakan life in Southeast Asia. Families traditionally used embroidered cloths made in southern China, but in the early 20th century, some in Indonesia began using cloths of local batik.

Made on the north coast of Java, the batik altar cloths show traditional Chinese symbols as well as designs from Europe and Southeast Asia. This exhibition focuses on a group of batik altar cloths generously donated to the Peranakan Museum by Matthew and Alice Yapp.


Getting to us
We are a 10-minute walk from City Hall and Bras Basah MRT stations.

Hours
Daily    ：10am to 7pm
Fridays ：10am to 9pm

Admission
Free for all Singapore citizens and permanent residents (Please present ID)