Featured What, pray, would they have held?

Hi all.
I have five Chinese bamboo items.
My favourites being these two.
Reason being is their simple yet effective 'security system'.
An extended piece of bamboo that hooks under the fixed portion of the lid then a hasp and clasp is used to stop this part of the lid from being opened.
I'm assuming they would have held a food ingredient in the kitchen that was at some time 'precious'.
Obviously the whole thing could be picked up and stolen in one go so it must have been a family or restaurant kitchen deterrent.
They are really well made, coopered like a barrel.
I believe the mark under one means 'sky'.
I'd love to know what they were used for.

 

where's bamboo.....i see wood food containers...

 

Doesn't look like bamboo to me either.

 

I agree, wood.

Food for a ceremony?

 

Only what we tell it. Very fancy bento box?

 

Proprietor of this site is named Robert Mangold. If we can't come up with a good answer, he might be someone to ask:

https://www.the-kura.com/

 

My thought with the first pic was some sort of go stone bowl, but a quick skim at the google says, "unlikely"...

 

Thanks for all the replies.
It was the open grain and two other of my items that put bamboo in my head.
But looking properly, I'm with you all, wood it is.
I need help; I put the words you posted '466 best baskets to love' in google and up popped a picture showing a similar example of another of my 5 items.
I couldn't find anything similar when I looked so thanks for that.
Some are calling them 'lunch boxes'?
Still no concrete evidence of what they were for originally
The 'basket' you have posted a picture of was advertised at $120 and is no longer available so I assume it sold.
Time for a sale of my own me thinks.
UPDATE
Found this https://auction.catawiki.com/kavels/7066883-wooden-lunchbox-china-ca-1920
So maybe the handled one is a lunch box.
The one without a handle obviously wouldn't be practical, rather awkward to carry.

 

That one looks as though it could have fit into another one (wider and deeper) or into something shallow with a handle? I have no idea, I've never seen these before but the shape appears it would fit securely inside something. Perhaps you'd also want it separate though, for convenience ie to add hot rice into it, then put into a carrier with a handle. Are your other pieces anything like that?

 

Zinnie.
I'm pretty sure the round one is for the kitchen.
The handled one is described as a lunch box by so many that I assume that is what it is. It seems a bit elaborate for such a use but I guess they had the time and patience to make such impressive items, unlike today where we are too busy browsing the internet, watching drivel on the tv etc.
I will post pictures of the other three as soon as I have a mo.

 

Looking at it more, it appears the inside wasn't carved out to reflect the outer shape. I didn't see that first time. And now it makes more sense that this is an inside the house item where the large 'lip' would be used to pass the container around, especially if hot food is inside, and thus not get burned. The photos don't show the underside of the lip so I may be wrong if there's too much slope to make grabbing possible. It's certainly gorgeous, whatever it's purpose. If you don't sell, what will you use it for?

 

The first time I've seen something like this... They could be used decoratively if one didn't want to actually use them to hold food.

 

True - my first thought on seeing them was yarn...lol (do we know the dimensions?). And I'm not one who knits or crochets a lot. It just looked like good yarn keeper. The Chinese create lovely embroideries, it could hold projects like that? Or just keep the lid off and a cat will soon find it.