Yun Lacquer Betel Box

In many southeast Asian cultures, offering guests a betel quid to chew was the fundamental symbol of hospitality. A blend of leaves, nuts, seasonings, and sometimes tobacco, betel was kept in finely worked and decorated boxes.

Crafted in Burma in the early 20th-century, this round betel box is decorated in a style known as "yun" ware. Cloaked in layer upon layer of brilliant red-orange cinnabar lacquer, the box was then finely etched with intricate line work and filled with gold pigments. The cylindrical box includes one of the original interior trays used to separate the quid ingredients. A beautiful display of Burmese lacquerware, the delicate box remains vibrant even after a century of use.

Minor splits and losses to lacquered exterior.