Indian Chalice-Form Hinged & Lidded Box with Peacocks

A beehive-like lid sprouts branching stalks and tiny buds like a metal garden.

This chalice-form hinged and lidded box with peacocks is from Bengal, Odisha, India, and dates to the 19th century. It is brass. The peacock is the national bird of India and appears often in Indian art, where it is associated with several deities and with beauty. A rounded, finely ribbed vessel on a flared pedestal, with small ring handles at either side. The lid carries a few small bud-like points and a tall branching finial. The metal is a warm, aged brown. It is 5 inches high and 3.25 in diameter.

A small pot that grew antlers and kept them.