Heart shaped basket made entirely from cloves

Heart shaped basket, constructed entirely from cloves, for warding off diseases

This basket is made from cloves. They are the strong smelling and aromatic dried flower buds of the tree Caryophyllus aromaticus. This basket was made to ward off disease, especially during epidemics. It was thought by some that disease was spread by foul smells and that the strong odour of cloves repelled the vapours. Today, clove oil is used as a home remedy for toothache as it has pain relieving qualities.