National Treasures of Singapore

The national treasures of Singapore are artifacts deemed to have significant historical importance to the country of Singapore.

List

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Below is a list of artifacts considered to be National Treasures by the National Museum of Singapore.[1]

S/N Name Description Year Image Ref
1 Singapore Stone The Singapore Stone is a fragment of a large sandstone slab which originally stood at the mouth of the Singapore River, believed to date back to at least the 13th century and possibly as earlier. Unknown [1][2]
2 Portrait of Sir Frank Athelstane Swettenham Portrait of the first Resident General of the Federated Malay States, by John Singer Sargent 1904 [1][2]
3 Last will and testament of Munshi Abdullah Munshi Abdullah is widely considered as the father of modern Malay literature and was scribe and copyist for Sir Stamford Raffles. 1854 [1]
4 Mace of the City of Singapore Chinese philanthropist Loke Wan Tho in conjunction with King George VI granting Singapore a Royal Charter in 1951 1951 [1]
5 Daguerreotype view from Fort Canning Hill By French customs service officer Alphonse-Eugene Jules 1844 [1]
6 Gold armlets and rings from Fort Canning East Javanese style, found at Fort Canning Hill 1928 [1]
7 Portrait of Sir Stamford Raffles Portrait of the founder of Singapore by noted painter Xu Beihong 1939 [1]
8 Natural history drawings of flora and fauna Collection of 477 drawings commissioned by William Farquhar 19th century [1]
9 A wooden hearse Used for the funeral of Chinese philanthropist Tan Jiak Kim 1917 [1]
10 Embroidered Chinese coffin cover One of the largest of its kind in existence in Singapore unknown [1]
11 A glove puppet stage Belonging to the Fujian puppet troupe, Xin Sai Le 1930s [1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Lim, Wei Chean (31 January 2006). "Singapore's Treasures". The Straits Times. Items listed as national treasures of Singapore are: (1) a fragment of a 13th century sandstone slab bearing an undeciphered inscription known as the Singapore Stone; (2) a 1904 portrait of Sir Frank Athelstane Swettenham, the first Resident General of the Federated Malay States, by John Singer Sargent; (3) the last will and testament of Munshi Abdullah, the father of modern Malay literature; (4) the mace of the City of Singapore (1953) that was presented by Chinese philanthropist Loke Wan Tho in conjunction with King George VI granting Singapore a Royal Charter in 1951, raising its status to a city; (5) an 1844 daguerreotype of the view from Fort Canning Hill by French customs service officer Alphonse-Eugene Jules, one of the earliest photographic images of Singapore; (6) 14th-century gold armlets and rings in East Javanese style, found at Fort Canning Hill in 1928; (7) a 1939 portrait of Sir Shenton Thomas, the last Governor of the Straits Settlements, by painter Xu Beihong; (8) a collection of 477 natural history drawings of flora and fauna in Melaka commissioned by Resident of Singapore William Farquhar in the 19th century; (9) a wooden hearse used for the funeral of Chinese philanthropist Tan Jiak Kim in 1917; (10) an early 20th-century embroidered Chinese coffin cover, one of the largest of its kind in existence in Singapore; and (11) a glove puppet stage belonging to the Fujian puppet troupe, Xin Sai Le, which came to Singapore in the 1930s.
  2. ^ a b "Our Top Twelve Artefacts". National Heritage Board. Archived from the original on 14 June 2007. Retrieved 17 July 2007.