A Ceylonese betel or jewellery box

Lozenge shaped of undulating profile and protruding ribbed sides, this large turtle shell betel, or jewellery box, was made in Ceylon for exporting, in the late 18th century. Resting on silver ball shaped feet, it features a hinged flat cover.

Probably destined to the British market, it was mounted with sumptuous repousse and finely chiselled silver fittings that include, on its outer surfaces, four feet, a top articulated handle with floral medallion plate, garland friezes to the cover and edges, linked by architectural pilasters alternating with exuberant flower vases, pierced double-headed eagle elements, a large hinge, and a key. The inner silver elements comprise of hinge and three floral pieces, two of which sustain silver chains for holding the box open. Also evident in the box interior are the screws and bolts that fix the external mounts.

Similarly to other examples of this export production, its decorative grammar combines local traditional motifs, namely the compacted and dense floral decorative elements, and the solar double headed eagle, the bherunda paksiya - heraldic emblem of the Sinhalese Three Korales flag - with European aspects, such as the garland friezes, the pilasters, or the floral vases. From the hinge’s typically Sinhalese floral ground, emerge a rampant lion confronting a rampant unicorn. These heraldic beasts have been portrayed as supporters of the United Kingdom Royal coat of arms since 1603, when the English lion was combined with the Scottish unicorn, for the accession of James VI of Scotland (r. 1567-1625) to the throne of England, as James I, after the death of Queen Elizabeth I.

The box scalloped shape, its European neoclassical decoration and the presence of the heraldic lion and unicorn, suggest a manufacturing date towards the late 18th century, following Ceylon’s 1795 invasion by the British. The island would subsequently remain a British Crown colony until its independence in 1948.

Large turtle shell boxes and caskets, such as the present betel box, were fashioned after European prototypes, of which the rectangular shaped of flat cover were the commonest, for most of the 18th century, first under Ceylon’s Dutch control and then under British rule.

Produced in precious materials such as silver, turtle shell and exotic timbers, namely coromandel and tamarind, these betel boxes were used for storing and presenting house guests with the elements for betel chewing: tobacco, slaked lime, and Areca nut (Areca catechu), which would be wrapped in a betel leaf (Piper betle). The compound, of strong stimulating and narcotic effects, was offered as a prove of hospitality and respect, and betel boxes were commissioned and gifted as marks of gratitude, all over Asia.

            In the classical work “Asian Art and Dutch Taste”, Jan Veenendaal published a turtle shell betel box of similar dating (length: 22.0 cm).[1] Cartouche shaped, it features pierced silver elements of typically Sinhalese floral decoration. A scalloped shaped jewellery box made in coromandel (Diospyros quaesita), a type of mottled ebony native to Sri Lanka and India, belongs to the Dutch Museum, Pettah, Colombo (inv. 29.168.430 dim.: 26.0 x 17.0 x 7.8 cm).[2] Of earlier date, it is characterized by carved decoration, clearly inspired by European rococo ornamental motifs.