Anyone know what this could be?

[prd409]

Bought at an auction in California about 20 years ago.

[greenacres]

Are they bottles or jars can't tell?

[KC]

I'm not really sure what I am looking at as well.

Looks like a metal suitcase with an insert and 4 cylinders.

Are there any markings on anything?  Can you please describe what it is (size, color, weight).  Does it look like it has parts missing? (unusual wear inside/outside)

[fancypants]

Any chance that this can be a (partial) assay (gold/gold ore) kit ?

I'd sure like to see the hasp details , if possible ....

[prd409]

They resemble ramekins. They are made of metal...maybe brass...can't tell. No markings of any kind on the box nor the circular containers.

One photo show the inner liner removed from the main box and the bottom of the small circular containers.
The other photo is how they look when you open the main box.

Maybe it is a artists box and the small containers are to hold paints or something like that?

[prd409]

More pics with a ruler for better perspective of size.

[wilhenri]

they look like ink well inserts are they possibly unrelated to the box

[mart]

Chinese painted with a limited color palette, and the hardware looks Chinese !! I think its missing some pieces but could be a Chinese paint box !!  Nothing on the bottom of the containers ??  Are they pottery or metal ??  If metal may not be paint box !!

[fancypants]

Thanks for posting more images , prd409 .

Your cool little item looks like an early 20th century Chinese (1910 to 1930's) opium box to me  !

[mart]

Explain what an opium box is Fancypants !! I have never seen one !! How are the containers used ??

[fancypants]

O.K. mart ...it's a box for holding opium .

Sometimes they were more like 'kit' boxes (of various sizes) , holding a pipe (or 2) , a scale , some 'pokers/burners' & opium .
Opium houses (dens) often used small boxes to hold/dole out opium to the folks who attended them , often with a simple lock for the hasp .

Some opium boxes commonly have some sort of motif related to the symbol of the 'opium den' (or the Tong [crime organization , aka "benevolent brotherhoods"] that ran them) , or of the opium poppy .
Not every box (not all were 'box' shaped) has an opium-related scene/motif , though !

If you do a search of 'antique Chinese opium boxes' you'll see a bunch , mart ... even though you're runnin' dial-up over there in Texas !

 

[mart]

Ha !!  OK Fancypants you giving me a hard time about my dial up too ??   

Joking with ya Fancy !!   Maybe that's why that hasp looks like a poppy !! 

[fancypants]

Yah , mart , I use dial-up too ... the joke is on US !

The little containers were for holding the amount of opium each customer buys (a set amount/dose per container) & they should be able to be 'nested/stacked' upon each other , leaving a small space for the drug .

[greenacres]

Interesting, Fancypants. This looks like it's been really used.

[KC]

Opium paraphernalia from the the hey day of opium dens in North America, France, China, Asia is very collectible.

Became VERY POPULAR after Civil War.  Was used to treat medically and then became a recreational item.