Antique Indian Brass Betel Nut Cutter - Sarota - Peacock Form with Glass Inlay Roundels - North West India - c.1900 - 2716

Summary

An antique North West Indian brass betel nut cutter of sarota form, the handle joint cast as a peacock with further bird forms to the body, fitted with a steel cutting blade and decorated with glass inlay roundels, circa 1900.

Description

The betel nut cutter - known in Hindi as a sarota or sarautā - was an everyday domestic tool across South and South East Asia, used to split the hard areca nut that forms the core of the betel quid chewed widely across the region. In wealthier households and as gifts, sarotas were produced in brass and silver with considerable decorative ambition, and the quality of casting and ornament on a piece often reflects the status of its original owner.

This example is from the North West of the subcontinent, a region with a strong tradition of brass casting and decorative metalwork. The hinge joint between handle and body is cast as a peacock - a bird of deep symbolic significance in Indian culture, associated with beauty, protection and the monsoon - with further bird forms worked into the body of the piece. The cutting blade is steel, grafted into the brass body for the hardness required to split the areca nut cleanly. A series of roundels along the body retain traces of their original glass inlay, set over coloured foil to give brilliance; the foil has degraded with age, as is typical on pieces of this period, but the settings themselves survive intact.

Condition

Age-related wear throughout, consistent with use and period. Most of the glass inlay pieces are missing and the foil colouring behind the surviving roundels has faded. The brass retains good surface detail and the steel blade is present and intact. See images for general presentation.

Approximate Measurements

• Length: 16.5cm [6.5in]
• Height: 9.5cm [3.75in]
• Weight: 186 grams

Stock Code: 2716 JL21-1

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