I have absolutely no idea where this is from. My step-father picked it up on a trip in Asia, and it's been sitting in our living room ever since. We believe it to be some kind of storage device, as it has numerous compartments that open and close.
Odd Death Ring
Contributed by sacre_blues
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This is is of asian origin - it is used for storing tikka powder - the coloured powder asian women use to mark their forehead with a coloured spot. The skull often appears in Buddhist and Hindu art as a means of expressing human life as fragile and therefore it cautions against attachment to wordly goods and experiences. It is not seen as an image that is spooky or scarey. The skull has also been portrayed in western art to similar ends. I also have one of these but it has a peacock rather than a skull.