TOBACCO BOX (CHELPA) &. CHINESE STRAITS, MALAYSIA, 19TH C. Straits tobacco box, or. Would have been used to store betel nut. Attached to the box are. Chains with accessories, likely. And feels good in the. Palm of the hand. The box has had gilding. Epousse work done to it. Originates from Lower Perak in Malaysia, and dates to late 19. On either side of the box sits. A centrepiece in a crown shape. The tips of the crown jut out. For a lovely visual and textural. Crowns on the box have. Been gilded and are. Contrast against the s. The body of the box is convex and ribbed. Each ribbed segment is. Thin, beaded, vertical partitions. On the back of the. There is a large ring. Affixed to the body. Chains with accessories have. The first set of chains are attached between that ring and another. The second ring, there is a. Second set of chains with accessories. These implements were thought to be used for day-to-day tasks, specifically. There are three tools here. One of them, a tiny spoon. Is believed to have been used for cleaning out ear wax! Would have been attached to clothing. This way, one could easily travel with. Their betel nuts without having to carry them around in their hands or pockets. Betel chewing became widespread across South East Asia and there was a great deal of paraphernalia attached to the habit with containers of various, sizes and shapes and special tools to. Cut the betel nuts. The containers were made of different materials, wood, lacquer and various metals, according to income and social standing. An extremely beautiful and expensive. A number of different. Containers to hold the various ingredients. Uld have been used to hold the. Set could only have belonged to a rich individual of high social standing. With chains and accessories! This is very good and. E with age and careful usage. Ome slight signs of wear and use, which do not detract. Please message me with any queries. Thank you for looking and dont forget to check my other listings for antique European, Indian, Middle Eastern. Quality silver, particularly antique items from Asia, India and the Middle East. If you are looking to sell, please contact me with details. The item “ANTIQUE SILVER TOBACCO BOX (CHELPA) & CHAINS, CHINESE STRAITS, MALAYSIA, 19TH C” is in sale since Monday, May 14, 2018. This item is in the category “Antiques\Silver\Solid Silver\Boxes”. The seller is “argento-silver” and is located in London. This item can be shipped worldwide.

• Product: Boxes
• Age: 1850-1899
• Style: Chinese Straits
• Composition: Silver-Gilt
• Pattern: Flora