Farquhar Collection - Pale Giant Squirrel

Tupal Kerawak - From the Farquhar Collection

Singapore Stamp Issued 2002

This the the second of a series of watercolours from the Farquhar Collection that were made as stamps in Singapore in 2002.  The pale giant squirrel was native to Singapore, although it is now extinct.  Farquhar worked for the East India Company in Malacca, but he constantly pursued an interest in natural history during his time in the South East Asian region.  When he moved from Singapore to Malacca, he also took a large personal collection of animals with him, including wild cats, a cassowary, procupine, numerous monkeys and a tiger.  

This painting is typical of those commissioned in the Farquhar collection - it was probably completed by Chinese painters who were brilliant at providing a magnificent level of detail for these drawings that had a very scientific focus.