Indian Chalice-Form Hinged & Lidded Box with Peacocks

A strutting bird with a long swept tail stands on a rounded, lidded pot.

This chalice-form hinged and lidded box with peacocks is from Bengal, Odisha, India, and dates to the 19th century. It is brass. Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc that is easy to cast, and old brass often shows a deep golden or brown patina. A small lidded vessel with a rounded body engraved with zigzag bands, set on a slim pedestal with a scalloped foot. A bird with a crest and a long, flat tail stands atop the lid. A side loop hangs at the left. It is 5.25 inches high and 2.5 in diameter.

The bird stands on top of it all, quite sure of itself.