Old bronze tribal Indian box pendant, mostly used as a container for betel nuts (or related products), sometimes (especially in the Bhubaneswar region) as a money wallet.
The chewing of betel nuts, the seeds from the areca palm, is an ancient and very common practice all over the Asian continent, especially in the Philippines. Betel nuts are sliced up and wrapped in betel leaves together with other spices and herbs, often also with tobacco. The leaves are coated in the lime powder and this concoction (locally called 'paan') is then chewed upon for its stimulant and mildly psycho-active effects.
This box pendant has been made with the traditional Indian metal casting style known as ‘Dhokra’. This specific metal art form can be traced back almost 4000 years and is regarded as one of the greatest heritages from the Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro civilizations. The traditional craft is nowadays still actively practiced among artisan craftsman from, for example, the Indian Damar tribe in different regions such as West Bengal and Odisha, in east and central India, Kerala in the south and Rajasthan in the north.
The dhokra metal smithing method is used to make different decorative, religious and practical objects. The items are made with a traditional ‘lost wax’ casting method, making each item slightly different and unique. The style of the dhokra items, which is not only still well-beloved in India, but nowadays also high-regarded among collectors in the western market, is deeply connected with its tribal identity and often shows rustic appealing folk patterns (such as men and women performing daily chores) and a close proximity with nature by using motives such as flowers and the sun.
This box pendant would have been used by hanging it on a cord from the belt (or sometimes around the neck). The cord is threaded through the eyelets in the lid and container, in the same time thus safely closing it.
This item is an old one already and clearly shows some signs of its age and previous usage, but we think this rustique appearance only adds to its unique charm.
Sizes; approximately 7 centimeters high and 3,8 centimeters wide. Weight is 86 grams.
Only one available.
