Tiered bamboo baskets such as these are known in the Peranakan community as 'bakul siah'. 'Bakul' means 'basket' in Malay and 'siah' means 'auspicious' in Hokkien. The family who owned this particular auspicious basket also referred to it as a 'dowry tingkat', indicating that it would have been used to transport valuable wedding gifts during a 12-day wedding. Items that would have been carried included silk and cotton garments, beadwork, jewellery, and auspicious products such as sugarcane and oranges. An unusually tall example, this tiered basket is lacquered in red, black and gold with Chinese figures painted in gold on the lid and handles.
