2018.37.222

Collection type

Object

Description

Metal Tiffin Can consists of three parts which stack on top of one another. Removable lid and handle. [ThW 11/2/2020]

Long description

Metal Tiffin Can consists of three parts which stack on top of one another. Removable lid and handle. Held together with two brackets. Decorated with incised patterns. Due to its condition only separates into two parts with the bottom two being firmly attached. [ThW 11/2/2020]

Geographical reference

Syria

Asia > Western Asia > Syria

Person

Field collector Jenny Balfour-Paul

PRM source Jenny Balfour-Paul

Date

Acquisition information

Donated: 03/03/2016

Materials and processes

Material Metal, Process Hammered, Process Incised, Process Riveted

Dimensions

Diameter: max 238 mm, Height: max 260 mm

Object numbers

Accession number: 2018.37.222

Research and responses

The Jenny Balfour-Paul collection [2018.37] was extensively researched and studied as part of the Multaka Oxford Project. The Multaka Oxford project is an inclusive volunteering programme using the collections as a springboard for intercultural dialogue about cultural heritage delivered jointly by the Pitt Rivers Museum and the History of Science Museum, University of Oxford. Any input from Multaka volunteers have been included as project notes on the database records for specific objects. [ThW [Multaka Project] 26/1/2021]

[Multaka-Oxford Project notes] From the Pitt Rivers Museum online exhibition Weaving Connections Volunteer Niran Altahhan said:‘Syrian heritage is full of industries and handicrafts, among them the manufacture of copper household appliances. This is an ancient and historical craft that has been passed down for generations but is about to disappear. One of these copper products was safartas “a travel vessel”. They often consist of three or four consecutive plates stacked on top of each other. Each section is dedicated to a different type of food cooked with love and tenderness.’ Photographs taken by Niran’s cousin from his antique shop in Damascus. [ThW [Multaka Project] 26/1/2021]

[Multaka-Oxford Project notes] From the Pitt Rivers Museum online exhibition Weaving Connections Volunteer Antoinette Nguyen wrote this poem:

White Rice, A Poem About Lunch and My Vietnamese Father

‘Ba, can you cook some rice?

the al dente way like the Italians do

don’t put too much water

we don’t have to run away anymore

we can let it sit overnight and eat it tomorrow too the spirits are dancing tonight, Ba

they’re mingling in smoke clouds up to the ceiling why do they have to leave us, Ba?

I want them to come for dinner at least

and eat with us one last time

and stay here forever.’

[ThW [Multaka Project] 26/1/2021]

Multaka-Oxford Project notes] From the Pitt Rivers Museum online exhibition Weaving Connections Volunteer Sally Barakjl said: ‘This is a type of lunch box used to carry food from one place to another. The three tiers are used to separate the type of food. For example: the first-tier used for rice the others for vegetables and meat.’ [ThW [Multaka Project] 26/1/2021]

Search terms: Vessel, Food and Drink, Food Accessory