18th/19th Century Silver Inlaid Box

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Description

An antique betel nut box from the 18th or 19th Century.

This box originates from South East Asia and is … Read more An antique betel nut box from the 18th or 19th Century.

This box originates from South East Asia and is made of silver. It was most likely used to store the ingredients for making betel quid, a mild stimulant chewed in many Asian cultures. The practice of chewing betel nut dates back thousands of years and is still common today.
The box is decorated with intricate silver inlay in a floral or geometric pattern. This decorative style is often referred to as the "okir pattern," a traditional design for the Maranao people of the southern Philippines.
The main box has a hinged lid and features handles on the sides. Inside, there are smaller compartments with individual hinged lids, which would have held the different ingredients for the betel quid, such as the areca nut, betel piper vine leaves, and slaked lime.
These boxes, known as paan daan in some regions, were not just functional; they were also a symbol of a family's status and were used to show hospitality to guests. See less