Traditional Pintu Pagar - 6

Pintu pagar No. 20 looks unusually new, and so are its main doors and window frames and the window pagar.  I wonder if these are newly fabricated or from the original occupants.  The hinges also lool quite shiny and new.

This pintu pagar is very simply designed, with the bottom two panels replicated for the top two panels.

The pendant lamp hanging fromt the ceiling looks like a simple modern design, which reinforces my suspicions that this set of pintu pagar is newly fabricated.

Pintu pagar No. 21 has 4 sections of panels that are very elaborately carved, and I nearly got lost in the maze of flora and avian.  Unfortunately I am unable to identify the flora and avian accurately in this pintu pagar.  

The glass (?) panel is also shaped quite diferently from other pintu pagars, and the glass (?) is also patterened.  I am guessing that the original occupants were rather well-to-do.

Pintu pagar No. 22 consists of 3 sections of elaborately carved wooden panels.  What caught my eye was the pendant lamp hanging from the ceiling.  It look as it it was from a certain era gone by, and I wonder if it is the original pendant lamp.

The main doors definitely look new, thus I wonder if only the pintu pagar was original.

Traditional Pintu Pagar - 5

Pintu pagar No.16 is interesting.  It has elaborate bas relief without any wood being hollowed out.  Thus it neither enables ventilation like pintu pagar No. 4, nor allows some light through like pintu pagar No.1 with its glass (?) panels.

Pintu pagar No.17 contains 4 sections of solid wooden panels, and like pintu pagar No. 2, appears to be taller than other pintu pagars.  Perhaps it was installed by occupants who preferred more privacy for their interiors.

I am guessing that if the main doors of pintu pagar No. 18 are the original doors, the original occupants could be rather wealthy.  The main doors are elaborately carved and contain what appear to be some han character in the traditional script which I can't decipher.  The design of the pintu pagar is also quite dissimilar to other pintu pagars.

Strangely, while the pintu pagar and the main doors are the colour of lacquered wood, the windows are painted white.  Perhaps there had been some redecoration? 

Pintu pagar No. 19 contains only 2 sections of panels, of which the top panel appears to be shutters.  This appears to be quite an unusual design.  In additional, this pintu pagar has neither the large bolt at the middle section, nor hooks.

Traditional Pintu Pagar - 4

Pintu pagar No. 13 has 3 sections of panels, and like pintu pagar No. 2, is completely made of solid wood.

This house is still has a pendant lamp hanging from the ceiling in front of the doors, which lends a touch of nostalgia.

Pintu pagar No. 14 contains 4 sections of panels, of which the section second from the top consists of glass (?).  The design is similar to pintu pagar No. 11, but it is a lot less elaborate without the carvings.

Similar to pintu pagar No. 13, there is a pendant lamp here, and the design of the lamp appears to have been decades old.  I wonder if the lamp is the original lamp installed when this unit was built.

Interesting, the topmost panels of the main doors had the han character 福 in bas relief, signifying the occupants' wish for blessings as they reside in the unit.

Pintu pagar No. 15 contains 4 sections of panels, of which the second topmost panel consists of oval glass (?), which is rather unusual.

Traditional Pintu Pagar - 3

Pintu pagar No. 9 consists of 3 sections, where the top section is of green glass (?) and there is a decorative part above the top of the pintu pagar.  Other wise the pintu pagar is rather plain in design.

Pintu pagar No. 10 consists of 4 sections, where in the second top-most section, there is a distorted bone-shaped glass (?).  I'm sure there is a proper name for that shape, but until I find out what it is called, I'll just term it 'bone-shaped'.

Pintu pagar No. 11 is actually elaborate, with 3 of the 4 sections with decorative carvings on the panels.  The window pagar in constrast, is not as elaborately designed.

Apart from pintu pagar No. 1, pintu pagar No. 12 has the most sections (2) of glass (?) panels - both the top 2 sections are glass (?). There is also elaborate decorative carvings at the top of the pintu pagar, which I'm guessing suggests that the original owners are wealthier, or more willing to spend more on a more elaborate pintu pagar?

The window pagar appears to be a large panel of glass (?) enclosed in a wooden frame.

Traditional Pintu Pagar - 2

The very impressive pintu pagar in the museum evidently used to belong to a rather wealthy peranakan family had 4 sections of panels with plenty of intrigate details.

I wonder how those that are still in use (and not in museums) would look like and set to find out.

Pintu pagar No. 5 consists of 4 sections of panels, with glass (?) at the outer section of the panels second from the top, and some detailed work at the top panel.  The pintu pagar is left wide open and hooked to the side, which kind of defeats its purpose.  The main doors are firmly shut, so the pintu pagars are not deliberately positioned this way so as to facilitate movements such as large furniture or large groups of people moving into and out of the house.  But because the pintu pagar is left wide open, I could see that there is a hook at the top of the pintu pagar and allows the pintu pagar to be (somewhat) securely closed when it is meant to be - i.e. people outside the house cannot simply push the pintu pagars and enter at will.  This provides some security to the occupants.  There is also the wooden bolt between the third and bottommost panel, that keeps the pintu pagar securely fastened when closed.  I did not see such bolts in some pintu pagars which were opened, so I wonder if this bolt is a constant feature of a pintu pagar, or that they were made to order by clients.

Something interesting that I observed are the window versions of pintu pagars.  These would have served the same functions for the windows as the pintu pagars did for the main doors.  The glass panels for the window pagar are not transparent, this ensures that passerbys cannot simply look into the house.

Pintu pagar No. 6 is similar to pintu pagar No. 5, except that it is in the colour of natural wood, while pintu pagar No. 5 is painted. 

Pintu Pagar No. 7 consists of 4 sections, with the top section of individual wooden bars, the second section of glass (?) and the remaining 2 sections of solid wood panels.  

The window pagar is a lot less elaborate compared to the pintu pagar, with a plain design of 4 glass (?) panels that allow some light through and keep prying eyes out.

I wonder if the wooden doors are the original doors, as there are door knockers and a door bolt that I last saw on my hotel door in Bhutan!

Pintu pagar No. 8 looks similar to pintu pagar No. 7, except that the second section is wood instead of glass (?).

Traditional Pintu Pagar - 1

The very impressive pintu pagar in the museum evidently used to belong to a rather wealthy peranakan family had 4 sections of panels with plenty of intrigate details.

I wonder how those that are still in use (and not in museums) would look like and set to find out.

Pintu pagar No. 1 consists of 3 sections of panels, with 2 of the sections fitted with glass (?).  I wonder if this is the orignal glass, because a design like this would have reduced the privacy factor of the pintu pagar.  The design of this pintu pagar is straightforward and simple, without any intrigate details.

I looked at this photo more closely, and realised that that the two ratten armchairs are pushed right against the open pintu pagar.  I'm guessing that whoever now occupies this unit might not actually know what the pintu pagar is for, and the five-foot way is more for walking or sheltering from the rain and nobody would have wanted to sit along the five-foot way back then.  But this is a completely different era from way back then and I suppose there really isn't any reason to stop the occupants from seating outside their unit now.

Pintu pagar No. 2 consists of 3 sections of solid panels, with a very simple and straightforward design.

Pintu pagar No. 3 consists of only 2 sections of panels, with the top section fitted with glass (?).  

Pintu pagar No. 4  was surprisingly tucked within an entryway instead of being at the main entrance.  I wonder if this pintu pagar had been relocated to this position as the original unit had been reconfigured by some interior designer. 

This pintu pagar consists of 4 sections of panels with intrigate details of cravings.

Rice basket with scoop and Pintu Pagar

昔のプラナカンの家庭で使われていた米籠にとても感銘を受けました。調理したご飯を入れる編み籠が漆塗りの彫刻が施された台の上に置かれ、しゃもじの持ち手には龍の彫刻が施されています。これは裕福な家庭で使われるものなのでしょう。

 プラナカンがかつて住んでいた場所には、正面玄関の前に「ピントゥ パガー」と呼ばれる別のドアがありました。ピントゥ パガールは、玄関が開いているときに外からの視線を遮断しながら家の中の換気を可能にし、もちろん家族の富を示す、一種の門やスクリーンのような役割を果たします。

このピントゥ パガールには精巧な彫刻が施されており、裕福な家庭の家にあったものであることは明らかです。