Anthropomorphic Lime Container

Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY

About the work

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Handheld in size, this vessel takes on the features of a human primarily through a stylized head, face, ears, and hair. It was made to hold slaked lime used in the consumption of paan. Paan is a blend of the areca nut, betel leaf, and quicklime, with a range of other local ingredients. It is either eaten and digested after meals or chewed like tobacco traditionally in India, Southeast Asia, and possibly China.

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