Unknown Maker, Italian

Typically made from a plant’s root, bark, fruit, or seeds, spices can be used fresh or dried. They can be crushed or combined with other ingredients using a weighty pestle in a mortar, ground into a powder, or in the case of nutmeg’s hard seed, grated with a specialized tool. Containers for storing spices were designed to be airtight and secure, like the multi-compartment silver box from India, the world’s largest producer, exporter, and consumer of spices.