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Property from the Paul F. Walter Collection
Lot 1068
Two coco de mer and brass tea caddies India and Bali, 19th century
19 March 2012, 14:00 EDT
New YorkSold for US$3,750 inc. premium
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Two coco de mer and brass tea caddies
India and Bali, 19th century
One plain with brass rim and a lidded interior fitted with a divided trays; the other carved allover with scenes from the Ramayana, finished with bird-head finial handles, metal rims and raised on an oval platform with knob feet. 12 and 11 in. (30.5 and 27.9 cm.) high
One plain with brass rim and a lidded interior fitted with a divided trays; the other carved allover with scenes from the Ramayana, finished with bird-head finial handles, metal rims and raised on an oval platform with knob feet. 12 and 11 in. (30.5 and 27.9 cm.) high
Footnotes
The coco de mer has been prized for its representation of the female form and was considered an aphrodisiac as well as a fertility enhancer. Coco de mers are the largest nut in the world and are native to two small islands in the remote Seychelle Islands. The nuts would be found at sea where they were thought by sailors to come from a tree that grew on the bottom of the ocean.
Provenance:
Lennox Money, London, 1982 and Spink & Son, 1984
























