Straits Silver Gilt Belt Buckle (peranakan / Malaysia / Singapore), 1890s.

This rare Peranakan gilt silver belt buckle (orbaba-nonya) originates from Malaysia/Singapore circa 1890.

It features a concave, scalloped shape, decorated with repoussé and chased flowers, lucky mythical creatures, and Chinese geometric motifs. Fusing elements of both cultures, as is typical of Straits silver, the buckle is typically Malay in shape, but its ornamentation is Chinese.

The silversmith has created relief representations of flowers and mythical creatures. Large bud flowers and geometric borders decorate the surface. Excellent condition with gilding still very visible despite the age of the object.

Size: 12 cm long by 9 cm wide.

Straits silver represents a unique fusion of Chinese and Malay cultures, and remains extremely rare.

These belt buckles were worn by the Straits Chinese—Chinese communities settled along the Strait of Malacca, particularly in the Malay Peninsula and Singapore—as ceremonial dress or at wedding ceremonies. Belt buckles were worn by Peranakan men and women as formal dress. A silver bar on the back of the buckle allowed a belt to be threaded through it to secure it at the waist.

Elaborate buckles, made of gilt silver or, more rarely, solid gold, were worn at wedding ceremonies by distinguished Peranakans to signal their wealth and status.

The Peranakans were unique among the many Chinese who migrated to Malaya. While other Chinese immigrants remained very loyal to their Chinese roots, customs, and beliefs, the Peranakans chose to adopt many Malay customs and practices, including their elaborate wedding ceremonies.

Source – Straits Chinese Silver: A Collector's Guide, Ho Wing Meng, Singapore: Times Books International, 1984.