Lime box
Sri Lankan
Category
Silver
Date
1700 - 1800
Materials
silver
Measurements
150 mm (L); 65 mm (W)
Place of origin
Sri Lanka
Order this imageCollection
Powis Castle and Garden, Powys
NT 1180720
Summary
Sinhalese silver lime box (killotaya) with attached spatula, the box shaped and with the heads of the 'serapendiya' at each side near the hinge; the body of the box with chased foliate decoration. The 'serapendiya', the Sinhalese fantastic beast, is also seen on the Sinhalese areca-nut cutters in the collection. This box with attached spatula would contain lime (chunam) to be mixed with the areca-nut sliced into small pieces by the cutters and served as pan. Sri Lanka, 18th century. See 'Treasures from India' catalogue pg.78.
Provenance
Collected by Robert Clive (1725-1774). This lime box along with another in the collection appears on the 1775 inventory as 'Two chased Silver Boxes for Chunam'. 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