Antique Hand Carved Coco De Mer Silver Mount Nut Box

Antique or Vintage Coco de Mer hinged box. Very good condition with light wear to surface as shown in photos.

This is a rare and magnificent object fashioned from a rare coco de mer nut and Ostrich egg by Antony Redmile. The box is secured to a wooden base with a silvered stand, holding both sides of the coconut. The coconut is a rich dark chocolate brown and appears to be warmly polished. The top of the box is silvered and adorned with beautiful malachite specimens. 2 small cast resin boar's teeth set with malachite are present on either side of the box, much like handles. Decorative silvered fittings hold ostrich eggs that serve as the lids to the box. Finally, a silvered fitting holds an oval malachite finial...

Unusual coco de mer tea caddy crafted with a double lobe nut found on the Seychelles Islands, it is said to have mystical properties. Featuring malachite f...

This is a fine example of an early 20th C rectangular bronze betal nut box with beautiful and elaborate silver inlay from Mindanao in the Philippines. The box has a handle on each si...

Found in Austria at an estate sale, this hand carved nut catchall is perfect for the collector. Nice Mid Century collectible to display ...

An antique Thai wooden betel nut box from the early 20th century, with carved décor and pierced motifs. Born in Thailand during the early 20th century, this antique wooden betel nut ...

A scarce fine quality antique silver-inlaid solid brass betel nut box (Lutuan), dating to the second half of the 19th / early 20th century, hand-crafted in Mindanao, Philippines. Boxes such as this were used to store the areca nut (also known as the betel nut) which would be wrapped in a betel leaf with lime paste and other ingredients, often tobacco, for chewing. Similar to the European tea caddy, these boxes often served as a way to impress while showing off ones wealth. Betel chewing was prevalent in the southern Philippines as in much of the rest of Southeast Asia. Wealthier Maranao families on Mindanao were able to afford elaborate silver-inlaid brass betel boxes such as this example. Such boxes were used to show off to guests and from which they were offered betel and the other component such as leaves and lime to make up the betel quid. Rare large size, most extant examples of such boxes tend to measure around 5 inches in length. At slightly more than 7.75 inches the example here is larger than most. The distinctive decorative box features a very heavy strong-box like rectangular shaped chest form with canted corners, copper handles, and a conforming hinged lid, lifting open to reveal an interior divided into three compartments covered by four hinged lids. Each of these doors is inlaid with silver in stylized orchid flower patterns. Exceptionally executed throughout, the arabesque silver inlaid exterior is decorated to the top with a large orchid motif within scrolling obid-obid (stylized rope) borders. The front, back and sides are inlaid with sets of stylized tail feathers of the sari-manok bird beneath which are unusual, highly stylized whimsical zoomorphic faces that appear like cat or tiger faces. (Such stylisation is accounted for by Southeast Asian Islamic preferences to avoid the overt and this potentially idolatrous representation of animal and human forms. Designs such as these are drawn from a local design repertoire that has its origins in wood carving. Although the spread of Islam in the Philippines began in the 14th century, mostly through the influence of Muslim merchants from the western Malay Archipelago, decorative arts in this design remain exceptionally rare. This lutuan represents a fine example of Islamic metalwork from the most eastern outreach of Islamic art and civilisation: Mindanao island being significantly further east than even China – artwork from Islamic Southeast Asia remains chronically under-represented in the world’s major collections of Islamic art. PROVENANCE / ACQUISITION Acquired from highly reputable auction house, Austin Auction Gallery, established 1983, Austin, Texas. References Brownrigg, H., Betel Cutters...

Antique Philippine Brass and Copper Betel Nut Box. The top lifts to reveal 2 hinged compartments that held the betel leaf and areca nut. Inlaid in c...

A handsome and very unusual late Victorian / early Edwardian biscuit box made from solid English Oak, beautifully carved with a bark design. The fit...

An 18th Century Silver Mounted Mogul Hand-Carved and Beveled Rectangular Jade Box. The jade is the finest quality with a natural even green tone. It is beautifully hand-carved and ...