Old Brass Paan Box - Ca 1920

This antique brass paan box (sold seperately) dates to around 1920 and reflects an important tradition in Indian social and domestic life. Paan is a preparation of betel leaf filled with spices, lime paste (chunam), and sometimes areca nut or tobacco, chewed for its stimulant and mildly psychoactive effects. Consumed across much of India, paan has long been associated with hospitality, ritual, and daily habit, with the skilled maker known as a paanwala in North India.

These rounded brass boxes, finely engraved with concentric geometric and floral motifs, would have been used to store the ingredients for paan. Their warm golden patina and delicately worked decoration make them beautiful in their own right, while their cultural significance gives them added depth as collectable pieces of Indian domestic heritage. Perfect as decorative objects, they also work well for storing small items around the home. Sold Separately.

• Origin: India
• Date: Circa 1920
• Materials: Brass
• Features: Rounded form; engraved lids with geometric and floral motifs; warm aged patina
• Condition: Antique, with marks and wear consistent with age
• Dimensions: W12 x D12 x H7 cm