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To hear Ah Ham tell the story, his melon teapot could have saved his life during
the Second
World War ……… | |
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The Japanese were fast advancing;
and as the British retreated, they showered bombs to destroy any supplies that
the Japanese might find useful.
But when one is hungry, deadly missiles
are no deterrent and the desperate villagers of a little town near Kuala Lumpur,
including Ah Ham, could be seen scrambling to grab bags of rice and food.
He scrambled out with a piece of history instead.
For amid the mayhem,
he spotted a beautifully crafted teapot shaped like a melon. As he bent to pick
it up, he heard shrapnel whizzing just above his head.
He ran out clutching
this pot, convinced that its mystical powers had saved his life.
Ah Ham
survived the war. He enjoyed his daily cup of tea from this charmed teapot and
never failed to regale his guests with his wartime story.
One such guest
who recognised the distinctive pewterer's mark on its bottom took it to Royal
Selangor to verify it. The melon pot was indeed an original creation by Yong Koon,
the founder of the company and it is the only such pot from the 1890s to survive
in impeccable condition.
Ah Ham is now gone, but his precious melon pot,
now has a place of honour in Royal Selangor's museum collection.
The Melon Tea Set
Every creation bearing the touchmark of Yong
Koon, founder of Royal Selangor, has always been a triumphant harmony of form
and function.
His teapots, for instance, ranging from the utter simplicity
of the cylindrical teapots to the magnificent melon shape pot, were splendid works
of art.
Today, our designers and craftsmen honour our founder with the
excellent recreation of his exceptional melon teapot. In typical Yong Koon tradition,
a high degree of craftsmanship and aesthetic awareness goes into shaping the spherical
teapot complete with ridges on its body, and a cover with a knob fashioned after
the stalk of the melon. Like all Royal Selangor teapots, this one has a totally
non-drip spout and a handle that falls cleverly to rest at a precise angle, retaining
minimal heat from the sides of the hot pewter teapot.
Royal Selangor
today offers the teapot, complete with a sugar bowl and milk jug, all crafted
in brilliant finished pewter. There is also a tray, decorated with the crinkly
patterns normally found on the rind of the melon, which presents an interesting
contrast against the bright shiny finish of the pot.
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