Rare temple panels – a collector’s pride

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Lau with his collection of old furniture and decorative items. — Photos courtesy of Aloysius Lau

Lau’s collections over the past 20 years include a Chinese blue and white vase, a Nyonya kamcheng, Orang Ulu beads, a tajau (Iban vase) and an old silver belt.

The wooden panels from Kuching Ching San Yen Temple which Lau purchased from a Chinese sculpture artisan.

ALOYSIUS Lawai Lau has an eye for old furniture and artifacts.

For the past 20 years, the 63-year-old has been collecting curios that caught his fancy – from little trinkets, strung with indigenous beads, and old household items to Chinese vases, of which some are even older than the man himself.

“I started collecting vintage items back when I was still working as a bank officer in Kuching — around the 90’s,” he told thesundaypost.

“I would save a part of my salary every month just so I could buy the antique items I liked. I have this habit where if I see something I like, I will just buy it,” he said.

Of all his purchases, Lau rates a pair of old wooden temple panels as his prized collections.

According to him, the panels were from the Kuching Ching San Yen Temple at Muara Tebas.

“I have owned them for about 15 years now,” he said, adding that it was his good friend Ah Chong, a sculpture artisan, who first told him about the panels.

Ah Chong was the contractor responsible for renovating the Kuching Ching San Yen Temple.

One day, a temple caretaker asked Ah Chong to dispose of the temple panels but he decided to keep them, knowing the historical value of the panels, engraved with images of Chinese scenery.

Lau believed the panels had been there since the temple was built and the materials had all been brought in from China.

However, he couldn’t pinpoint the exact placement of the panels in the temple as Ah Chong did not tell him nor did Lau notice the panels when he visited the temple before the renovation.

According to him, when Ah Chong acquired the panels, two antique dealers from Main Bazaar came to see him but he was reluctant to sell at the time.

However, when Ah Chong later asked Lau if he was interested to take a look at the panels, the latter agreed.

Lau remembers he was in awe of the exquisite craftsmanship when he first saw the panels at Ah Chong’s home.

“I was fascinated by the fine and intricate designs, and right there and then, I asked Ah Chong whether he would sell the panels to me. Knowing I’m an avid collector, he agreed – and at a very reasonable price too,” Lau recalled.

What Lau finds attractive about the panels are the designs.

“I know these are something rare. From what I understand, they could be the only temple panels in private collection in Malaysia. I doubt there are similar panels in other private collections,” he said.

Apart from the panels, Lau’s collections include a Chinese blue and white vase, believed to be more than 80 years old, and a Nyonya kamcheng, a traditional vase that comes with a lid.

“I also have Orang Ulu beads, a tajau (Iban vase) and an old silver belt.

“Besides, I own two Orang Ulu parang (long knife), a blow pipe and some old Sarawak stamps,” he said.

Although Lau’s collection may not be as vast as those of other collectors, he places a high premium on the sentimental value of the items he amassed over the years.

“Whenever I stumble upon anything I fancy in town, I will still buy them. Perhaps one day, I will have my own mini gallery,” he beamed.

Images of Chinese scenery engraved on one of the panels.

Paintings of Chinese scholars are also featured.