Multi-lobed bronze box (pān-dān), India Mughal, late 17th–early 18th century (ca.) - Pān-dān - Mughal - India

Multilobed bronze box (pān-dān), Mughal India, late 17th–early 18th century (ca. 1680–1720).

Solid betel box in cast bronze of substantial thickness, body and lid shaped like a flower with multiple lobes, clean internal walls, with an ancient, uniform bruno-olive patina showing natural oxidation.
The typology – polylobed shape, solid mass, sober finish without openwork – is fully consistent with the pān-dān from the Mughal court and Deccan tradition, used to contain and serve the ingredients of the pān; similar specimens with comparable volumes and continuous lobed profiles are known from public collections and the antique market.
Precise comparisons in the text by M. Zebrowski, 'Gold, Silver & Bronze from Mughal India' (Alexandria Press, 1997), a reference work for Mughal metals; in particular, see the pān boxes of 'flower-shaped' form with multiple lobes dated between the late 17th and 18th centuries, attributed to northern India and the Deccan.
The absence of ventilation holes, present in some variants, is not incompatible with the function, as older models could contain pre-assembled components or serve as an elegant presentation container; the interior without partitions supports this interpretation of use, without excluding its use as a small jewelry box.
Good condition: signs of use, light scratches and tiny oxidations consistent with the age; no significant structural deformation.

References:
M. Zebrowski, Gold, Silver & Bronze from Mughal India, Alexandria Press, 1997; comparisons in the British Museum collection (pandan sedici-lobato, 18th century); Freer|Sackler, Pandan box for betel nut and spices, 18th century; examples in the antique market and auction (Deccan/Mughal, late 17th–early 18th century).

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