Indian Chalice-Form Hinged & Lidded Box with Peacocks

A smooth sphere with a hinged seam, topped by a sleek little bird.

This chalice-form hinged and lidded box with peacocks is from Bengal, Odisha, India, and dates to the 19th century. It is brass. Odisha and Bengal have long traditions of casting brass and bronze, and the region's metalworkers are known for the lost-wax technique. A rounded vessel split by a hinge at its middle, with finely engraved bands of diamonds and petals. A slim bird figure perches on the lid. The pedestal ends in a pierced, scalloped foot. It is 4.5 inches high and 2.75 in diameter.

Round, hinged, and rather proud of its little bird.