Nut cutter
Sri Lankan
Category
Silver
Date
1700 - 1800
Materials
steel and silver gilt
Measurements
265 mm (L)
Place of origin
Sri Lanka
Order this imageCollection
Powis Castle and Garden, Powys
NT 1180718
Summary
A pair of Betel-nut cutters (giraya). The cutters are used for slicing the nuts of the areca palm, sometimes known as betel-nuts after the leaves of the betel tree in which they are wrapped to be chewed as pan. Betel-nut cutters are an essential part a pan set and can be purely functional or highly decorative. Sri Lanka cutters like these were frequently presented as annual tributes from metal-workers to their landlords. In the form of a mythical beast - the serapendiya which combines aspects of both parrot and lion. Its head with down-curving snout or beak is frequently seen as an adournmnet to Sinhalese metalwork; steel, with chased, scrolled decoration overlaid with sheet silver, and with gilt decoration. Sri Lanka, 18th century. See 'Treasures from India' catalogue pg.78.
Provenance
Probably collected by Robert Clive and referred to in the 1774 inventory as 'a curious pair of bettlenut Cracker'.Accepted by HM Treasury on 21st March, 1963 in lieu of tax and conveyed to National Trust ownership on 29th November 1963.
Makers and roles
Sri Lankan , maker