Indian Lota or Ceremonial Water Vessel

Lotas are usually small enough to carry in one hand. This one disagrees.

This lota or ceremonial water vessel comes from India and dates to the 18th century. It is hand hammered copper. The lota, a round-bellied water pot with a flared neck, has been an everyday and ritual form across India for a very long time. This example swells enormously from a short neck and rolled rim. The surface reads nearly black, dimpled by the hammer, with bright orange copper showing through low on the body. Twenty-four inches high and 31 across.

Whoever filled it had help, or at the very least a plan.