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At first glance, Mr. du Pont’s tortoiseshell box is aesthetically inconsistent with British tea caddies from the 18th century, which were shaped like small chests constructed with wood (often mahogany but sometimes walnut), veneered with tortoiseshell, and decorated with ivory and horn (2). The interior of the box would have one, two, or three storage compartments to hold black tea, green tea, and utensils for tea preparation, such as a teaspoon. The interiors of tea caddies were often lined with fabric or paper to protect the tea leaves from moisture. Although Mr. du Pont’s tortoiseshell box also has a similar shape and materials, the box’s decoration includes a heavy application of metal plating and pierced work that are rarely found on British tea caddies.
Reconsidering Mr. du Pont’s tortoiseshell box beyond Britain yet within an 18th-century colonial and global historical context revealed that it was more aesthetically consistent with boxes from Dutch colonial Ceylon (modern day Sri Lanka) or Batavia (modern day Jakarta, Indonesia) that stored the elements needed for chewing the leaves and nut of the sirih plant (betel). Sirih chewing was a social custom performed during interactions between the Dutch, Indian, Sri Lankan, or Indonesian royalty in the 18th century. These boxes were shaped like small chests and were constructed using tropical hardwoods found in Southeast Asia, such as amboyna burl, or teak (3). Sirih boxes were often decorated with tortoiseshell, ivory, silver, or gold mounts, and inlaid with precious stones, ivory, or mother-of-pearl combined with substantial functional and decorative metal mounts on the exterior.