Picture Details
Gold coated cardamom pods
Partner:
Kew GardensImage reference:
EBC29435Origin:
IndiaDonor / Date:
India Museum, c.1879Size:
W 10-15 mmDescription:
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These seed pods have been coated with gold leaf, probably used to decorate Indian sweets. The India Museum in London was formed by the East India Company in 1801 to display artefacts, natural history specimens and illustrations from the Indian subcontinent. The Museum was closed in 1879 and its collections dispersed among London Museums and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. By this time its collections had extended beyond South Asia to as far east as China.
