A 337 hours Project

Conservators not only stabilize the artifacts, they also carry out a lot preparation work, before the artifacts go on exhibition.
Often what you see in the museum is more than meets the eye.

We will reveal to you on this page, what was done for the display of a Straits Chinese bridal bed.

This bed is made from ornately carved namwood and is gilt & lacquered.  It features many fertility motifs including flowers, birds and sea creatures, associated with the Peranakan Chinese wedding.

The conservation challenge for  this huge furniture was to:
a. ensure that the bed was complete with no missing parts
b. ensure that the bed could be assembled and is structurally stable
c. conserve the textiles that will adorn the bed
d. mount the textiles on the bed, in a contextual setting.

We found that this Penang style bed, dating late 19 -20 c, comprises of 18 parts.

It is assembled by sheer mortise and tenon.

However one of the side frames was broken. The previous restoration with an adhesive has failed.  The bed assembly cannot be done without it.  This area had to be conserved.

To do so, previous adhesive was removed with hot air application and organic solvent. Two holes were drilled on two sides and brass rod measuring 6 cm was inserted into the wood. Wood glue was applied and gap was filled with plaster of pairs and painted over with acrylic paint.

For large and/or complex assemblies, a trial assembly is always done.

The assembled bed is not complete without the textiles done in auspicious color and motifs to adorn it.   They symbolize the blessing and hope for many heirs to the family name.

This bed is adorned with over 10 textiles and embroidery.  They have however deteriorated and required various types of treatment.

This included:

- Securing of loose threads

- Tidying of tangled tassels

- Adding a patch support to protect the insect hole and weakened lining

For the display of this bed, a lot of work went into preparing the textiles for contextual display.  The aim was to put the textiles up as they would be in the Peranakan house but not in the ‘conservation’ way.

For this, special ‘gadgets’ were created. They were needed because the textiles could no longer be tied up like they used to.  So the special ‘gadgets’ helped to give the textiles strength and allowed the contextual display.

Here are some of the hidden ‘gadgets’:

- Preparatory Velcro aprons to secure the front panel to the bed. They had to be accurately measured and spaced out in order to fit in between the wooden members of the bed.

-Preparatory ties for the curtain ties.  The curtain ties were missing.  Conservators made a conservation version of the tie so that the curtains of the bed could be held back.

-Preparatory aprons for the mattress runner tie hanging.  Traditionally, when the mattress runner is in use, it would have been sewn onto the side of the mattress.  In our display, the runner was sewn to larger pieces of fabric that would be tugged above and below the mattress.

Conservators often have to think out of the box.  And we hope that through this exhibition, you will get to appreciate the invisible ways to care for the artifacts.

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