This coconut container engraved with floral and geometric designs was probably made to store dry tobacco. Up until the 19th century, tobacco was sold in cloth or paper bundles, so containers were needed to protect it from the air and humidity. The coconut has a round lid made of ebony or teak (a tree whose wood is highly valued in southeast Asia), with an elephant engraved out of the same wood. The container is mounted on a tripod base with engraved edges, where three elephants, like the one on the lid, hold the container on their backs. Originally, all the elephants had ivory tusks and eyes.