Spice Box

About this piece

Spice Box — nine compartments under a glass lid. Made by hand from sheesham (rosewood) and carved by hand, in the Sillanwali Handicrafts workshop in Sillanwali, Sargodha, Punjab, Pakistan. It measures 9 in across. It costs PKR 4,200. It is ready to ship and delivered within 3 to 4 days anywhere in Pakistan, paid in cash on delivery.

A round masala dabba turned from solid sheesham, with four deep compartments around a small lidded pot at the centre and a carved wooden lid over the whole thing. The lid is the piece. It is turned as a dome, carved by hand in a floral band running right round it, and finished with a turned finial at the centre so it lifts straight off with one hand. A carved wooden lid holds its own weight down over the compartments in a way a light glass lid does not, and it will not shatter when it is set down hard on a counter next to a hot pan. The body carries a matching carved band around the outside, and the compartments are divided by fixed walls rather than removable cups, so nothing shifts when the box is carried. Four wells take the everyday spices — haldi, mirch, dhania, zeera — and the small central pot takes salt or whatever runs fastest in that kitchen. Made in Sillanwali, Sargodha, and carved individually, so the lid pattern differs from one to the next. Wipe it out with a dry cloth rather than washing it; sheesham holds spice oils and washing drives them deeper. Keep it out of standing heat and never put it in a dishwasher.

Every piece is made by hand, so the wood grain, carving and colour vary a little from the photo. That variation is normal and is what makes each one its own.