Betel box and cover (tepak sireh), chased silver and partly gilded, Riau Islands, Indonesia, 1800-99

Betel box (tepak sireh), 10-sided with an inset tray lid, silver and partly gilded, with chased floral design. Stamped on the base with a tiny rectangular seal.

Bequeathed by E.S. Wilkinson

IS.250 to 451-1950 and IS.1 to 7-1952, came from the collection of Mr. Richard James Wilkinson (1867-1941), who was formerly Deputy Governor of the Straits Settlement (1911 to 1916) and later Governor of Sierra Leone (1916-1922). He had acquired a collection of mostly Malay silverware and goldware, niello work, arms, etc. in Singapore and the Federated Malay States, which on 23 June 1919 was lent to the Indian Section of the V&A with the possibility of later making a bequest. A second loan of Malay brasswork followed on 31 October 1921. A total of 209 pieces were finally bequeathed to the V&A on 26 October 1950 following the death of his widow, Mrs Edith Sinclair Wilkinson.

This ten-sided betel box is extensively adorned with intricate floral motifs. Each is contained within panels separated by gilded bands. This style had parallels with contemporary British and French silverware and appealed to the western market. Originally made for the Royal family from the Riau-Lingga Sultanate, this box later belonged to the colonial administrator and Malay historian, Richard James Wilkinson (1867–1941). He was Deputy Governor of the Straits Settlement, a group of British-controlled territories that is now part of Malaysia and Singapore.

IS.268&A-1950