Indian Holy Water Vessel with Stamped Motif

The waisted cup is engraved with tiny figures and borders from rim to foot.

This brass holy water vessel with stamped motif is from Rajasthan, India, and dates to the 19th century. Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc, valued in South Asia for its warm color, its durability and the ease with which it can be worked and polished. Together, a pinched, tubular cup with a thin flared lip and a slightly flared base. Rows of small engraved marks, figures and ruled lines wrap the body, and a light crust sits at the base and inside the rim. It is 2.1 inches high and 2.2 in diameter.

Busy hands decorated every inch, and it shows.