Page 536 - Chinese SIlver By Adrien Von Ferscht

Silver gilt is not something that is foreign to M.K., neither is the Persian market. These reticulated silver gilt
boxes are in fact pomanders. MK was not a stranger to rose water sprinklers and these small pomander boxes
are an extension of the importance of fragrance in Persian and Ottoman culture, but pomanders were also used
against infection. The use of natural fragrances in Persia goes back to Sassanian times and is mentioned in the
Book of Esther [the Persian Jewish queen married to King Ahasueras aka Xerxes].

The outer flat border of the lids carry Persian script that has been added in Persia since it is has been applied
using the nail-work method that was prevalent in Persia and across most of the Middle East. The use of herbs,
spices and fragrances is very much part of the culture of Jews of Persian decent.