Nut cutter in the form of an amorous couple
Full Description:
A heavy bronze nut cutter from South India in the form of an amorous couple. Both man and woman are traditionally dressed with bodies adorned in jewellery. Probably late 19th or early 20th century, the bronze has a pleasing dark patina.
In the closed position the lady, who is being held at the waist by her companion, holds a parrot above her head in her right hand, and with her left hand appears to stroke the face of her partner, or perhaps she is shunning him? As the cutter opens the man leans in closely and the lady lowers her hand and their faces meet.
The practice of betel-chewing is a historical cultural phenomenon which has been endemic throughout the Indian Subcontinent, South East Asia and large parts of the Western Pacific.
Paan’’, in Hindi, is a chew or quid parcel of a betel leaf containing areca nut, which is sliced using a betel-cutter, and a lime paste. It is chewed for its stimulant and psychoactive effects. The cutters are sometimes referred to as betel nut cutters which is a misnomer since there is no such thing as a betel nut’’.