086

b. China, 1912 - d. 2008
Chuah Thean Teng, Dato’
Lady
c. 1970s-1980s
signed ‘Teng’ (bottom left)
batik
85 x 60cm
Provenance
Private collection, Kuala Lumpur.
Estimate
RM 30,000 – 45,000
Price Realised
RM 33,000

This work features a double mother-and-child combination facing each other, similar to his much celebrated work, Two Of A Kind. Teng’s works first gained worldwide recognition when Two of a Kind, depicting two mothers with children in their arms, was chosen by the United Nations Children’s Education Fund (UNICEF) for the cover of its 1968 greeting card (Fig. 3). It was the first time a Malaysian artist’s work was accepted by the world body and batik was established as a new and unique medium of artistic expression. The painting remains in the family’s collection until today.

Here, as the mothers chat in close proximity, the children seemed to be interacting too. The child on the right is supported by a child-carrier wrap sling predominantly used at the time, while the other is cradled on the hip of the mother, who bears a darker complexion – signifying inter-racial harmony.