19th Century Treen Spice Box

19th Century treen spice box

Dating from the 19th Century & of Indian origin, the box has a finely carved decorative lid enclosing five compartments that would originally been used for the storage of spices. Interestingly, the lid opens on a swivel mechanism. Signs of small historic restoration to one corner of the lid.

It is noteworthy that spices were a much prized and expensive commodity in the 17th and 18th Centuries, being imported from as far away as the Dutch East Indies (modern day Indonesia), as well as the Caribean islands.