Enquiry about object: 8272
Thai Chased Silver Betel Box
Thailand late 19th-early 20th century
height: 5.1cm, width: 15.2cm, depth: 8.2cm, weight: 396g
Provenance
private collection, London, UK.
This rectangular box of solid with a hinged lid was intended to hold betel, a mild social stimulant chewed by almost all Thais in the 19th century. Boxes such as this example were intended for wealthier Thais.
All sides and the cover are chased with what is probably a stylised cotton rosemallow (phuttan) flower motif. The flower motifs on the cover are arrayed around a central flower motif.
The base is stamped twice with a maker’s (or retailer’s) mark – 廣奧 or ‘Guang Ao’ – indicating that it was made or retailed by a local Thai-Chinese firm.
Similar examples are illustrated in Bromberg (2019, p. 82).
The box here is in excellent condition. The interior of the base is lined with wood panels.
References
Bromberg, P., Thai Silver and Nielloware, River Books, 2019.
Fraser-Lu, S., Silverware of South-East Asia, Oxford University Press, 1989.
