This set of silver and silver gilt filigree spice boxes on a tray was made in Hyderabad in Central India. There is a single large oval box in the centre surrounded by nine identical smaller boxes, and each has its own separate lid surmounted by an open bud-like knob. There is scroll-like decoration on both the boxes and the tray, which rests on four splayed legs and has thirty-five exserted leaves on its upper rim. The spices that the containers were intended to house may have been part of the ingredients used in the preparation of betel or pan, which, combined with areca nut, lime (chunam) and spices, is widely chewed throughout India and South-East Asia as a mild stimulant.