Indian Footed Holy Water Vessel

A low, wide cup with a banded shoulder and a hint of green at the edge.

This brass footed holy water vessel is from Karnataka, South India, and dates to the 19th century. Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc that is golden in color, and in India it has long been cast and hammered into household and ritual vessels. A squat, rounded vessel with a thick, slightly flat rim and a ridged band at the shoulder. It sits on a short stepped foot. The surface is dark olive-brown with patches of blue-green crust along one side. It is 2 inches high and 3 in diameter.

Short, stout and happy with its proportions.