Landscape tiles are one of the many mysteries at Bukit Brown Cemetery. I’ve come across various scenes depicting both European and Japanese scenes. However, I’ve not yet seen such tiles on any shophouses in Singapore. It appear that these beautiful and romantic depictions were latecomers to the world of heritage tiles.
Bukit Brown Cemetery was almost exclusively for Chinese burials, and tiled tombs there make up probably no more than ten percent of all graves. Many of the tombs incorporate traditional Chinese carvings and features. However, if you look closely at the landscape tiles, you’ll start to make out images of Mt. Fuji, Swiss mountain ranges, Shinto shrines and even Dutch windmills!
I’ve found landscape tiles dating back as early as 1936, which is well before World War II. I suspect that these tiles were handpainted in Japan, and shipped to countries with migrant Chinese populations including Taiwan, China and Malaysia. These tiles may have been originally created for the Japanese domestic market for placement in bathhouses and similar.
It’s also possible that the tiles were painted by local craftsmen in these countries using plain tiles imported from Japan. In the case of some tiles in Taiwan, that appears to be the case.
In the 1960’s and 1970’s, there seems to have been a resurgence in these landscape tiles. This time, the designs are much bolder and more realistic. Even so, I still doubt that they were entirely printed by machine, but I could be wrong.
In traditional Chinese culture, tombs are often considered the ‘house’ or place of rest for the deceased. It’s fascinating to think about the reasons why the deceased, or the descendants, would have chosen scenes from another culture. Was it because these tile panels were a practical and affordable way to depict scenes of ‘water’ on the tomb?
If we consider the importance of running water as per feng shui principals, it starts to seem clear that landscape tiles might have been an attractive solution. I have seen moats and similar water features on very large tombs from earlier times.
Although quite different from what many consider to be ‘Peranakan’ tiles, this genre shows the fluid ability for Straits Chinese to ‘mix and match’. It reveals the deep cross-cultural DNA of early Singaporeans, and reminds us of how much there is to learn about the past.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on these landscape tiles! Leave comments in the box below. Looking forward to sharing more of these mysterious beauties with you.
Jennifer