Title
Decorative hanging for wedding bed
Year/Period
Late 19th-early 20th century
Region
Indonesia or Singapore
Object Type
Dimension
Object size: 24.0 x 9.5 x 9.5 cm
Accession No.
2002-00448
Collection of
Credit Line
Gift of Mr. Edmond Chin
This bed hanging, also known as Bakul Bunga, was part of the ensemble of auspicious symbols which decorated the Peranakan wedding bed. Bakul Bunga literally means ‘flower basket’, and the body of the bed hanging has a compartment to place aromatic herbs and flowers. Although the bed hanging is richly decorated with floral motifs, it serves more than a decorative function. It is supposed to be ritually purified to protect the wedding bed from evil forces, important as they were as places of conception for the next generation of the family. Wedding beds were one of the largest pieces of furniture in wealthy Peranakan families, and could be part of the wedding trousseau.
