Title
Nut cutter
Year/Period
Late 19th-early 20th centuries
Region
China
Object Type
Dimension
Object size: H3.8 x W15 x D1.1cm
Accession No.
2009-00012
Collection of
This is a pair of bird shaped betel cutters with silver handles. It could have been part of the “tepak sirih”, which is a circular or rectangular tray divided in two by an L-shaped partition to hold items used for betel nut chewing. The smaller partition held a pestle and mortar as well as the cutters. There was also a drawer at the base of the rectangular tray to hold the betel leaves. In the circular tray, betel leaves were usually placed in a cylindrical container with sloping sides. A spittoon was also placed near the betel tray.
