Another beautiful set of tiles uncovered

The latest discovery of this tiles on a tomb that had already been exhumed left us puzzled, reminding us that much still lies hidden, waiting to be uncovered. Although we have encountered many decorative tiles on tombs, this example stands out as something entirely new to us. Because the tomb was previously exhumed, we cannot date with certainty when the individual passed away—though it may have been in the early 1900s.

Our first impression was that the piece resembled Delftware or transparent print tiles, given its thickness and finish. Alongside it, the panel also contained a relief-moulded flower tile of unknown origin, a type we have seen before

Rare decorative tiles uncovered ! - Pig and Piglet / Flower and Floral sprig

Note: using Claude AI to provide description below

The pig and the piglet tile 

• A large-format single figurative azulejo tile (known in Portuguese as "azulejo de figura avulsa") depicting a sow (mother pig) with a piglet, with a wooden fence in the background, rendered in cobalt blue on a white tin-glazed ground. 
• The scene is painted with considerable naturalistic skill — note the shading and musculature of the sow, and the rustic rural setting

The flower and floral sprig tile (using Claude AI to provide description)

• A radial medallion / rosette design with a central flower (an 8-petal rosette), surrounded by radiating petal-shaped segments, each filled with small floral sprigs
• The corner and border areas are decorated with scattered leaf and floral sprigs
• The color palette is cobalt blue on a cream/white tin-glazed background, with hints of pale green — typical of 18th–19th century production
• The glaze shows significant age-related wear, crazing (fine cracking), and staining, suggesting the tiles are genuinely old

Most decorative tiles found in Singapore are the colourful majolica Art Nouveau type imported from England, Belgium, and the Netherlands in the late 19th–early 20th century. Could it be that this blue-and-white azulejo-style tiles — with the figurative pig panel and floral medallion — are consistent with the earlier Portuguese colonial-era type predating the Victorian majolica wave ?

The panel underneath the altar table 

Location of tomb

Lao Sua (i decided not to disclose the exact location to protect its location for now)