Ammar, founder of Penang-based antique business The Gallerist Company, initially only planned on purchasing an ornate cabinet that once adorned the wedding chamber of a Peranakan family.
But he found a wash basin inside the antique cabinet that was just as exquisite. “There were different colours on the rim and centre of the bowl. It was striking,” Ammar told FMT Lifestyle.
The porcelain basin has 12 alternating yellow-and-green panels running along its rim, while its centre bears the images of a phoenix and a dragon chasing a golden pearl.
Ammar ended up purchasing both the cabinet and the wash basin, and later learnt that an identical wash basin, believed to be from the same set, was on display in the Peranakan Museum in Singapore.
“I would date the basin to the late 19th or very early 20th century. It would have been specially commissioned from China by a Melakan Chinese Peranakan family,” he said.
It is likely, Ammar added, that a member of the Peranakan family had married into the family of Syed Sheikh Al-Hadi, the prominent writer and scholar, from whom he had purchased the cabinet and wash basin.
After much thought, Ammar put the wash basin up for sale through a Singaporean auction house. But even before the online auction began, he received an offer from a private buyer for SG$20,000 (RM64,680).
He turned the buyer down – a wise decision in hindsight.
Recalling the final day of the auction on Sept 15, he shared: “It was definitely heated as the figure rose from SG$45,000 to SG$89,000 in the last 38 minutes!”
The auction closed and, after including a 30% buyer’s premium, the selling price was fixed at SG$115,700.
This, he added, is a world record in the Straits Chinese Peranakan Porcelain category. The previous record was for a “kamcheng”, or covered pot, that sold for SG$74,000 inclusive of the buyer’s premium.
“I was expecting for the basin to be sold for SG$30,000 to SG$40,000. But when it went up to SG$89,000, it was surreal,” he recalled.
However, he declined to reveal the actual profit he made on the sale, saying only that it was a “good amount”.
Ammar, who is currently taking a gap year before starting college, shared that his love for antiques stems from an interest in heritage architecture. He was 13 when he started collecting small brassware and figurines, later selling some of them.
He later started The Gallerist Company as an online business and opened the physical outlet in January. The outlet has a selection of antique furniture, home décor items, and art.
Some of the items, he shared, are available for purchase at the Eastern & Oriental Hotel and Cheong Fatt Tze mansion.
It isn’t often one comes across an individual like Ammar: a young man giving items of yesteryear a place in modern times.
“In our current society, the minimalist style is popular. The only way to appreciate the craftsmanship from a bygone era is through paintings, porcelains and furniture,” said Ammar, who is of Jawi-Peranakan heritage.
“Whenever I come across Peranakan furniture, it amazes me how craftsmen of that time were able to produce such fine carvings.”
So, what’s next for this enterprising lad – breaking the record he set, perhaps? “Well, that would be quite hard, but one of these days… hopefully!”
The Gallerist Company
50A, Jalan Kedah,
10050 George Town, Penang
Business hours: 11am-5pm (closed on Mondays)
Contact: 018-388 9853
Follow The Gallerist Company on Instagram.