Dhokra Brass Pot From Orissa - Ca 1920's Material - Elm (Bleached) Used by Chinese medicine dealers

Used by Chinese medicine dealers

with darker tones around the sides and natural marks consistent with age and use

perhaps a development from the tea seedpod hardware found on Meiji era Yonezawa chests

speaks to years of use and handling

the Hindu elephant god is carved in the center of the lintel

Dhokra Brass Pot From Orissa - Ca 1920's Material - Elm (Bleached) Used by Chinese medicine dealersDokra Damar tribes are the traditional metalsmiths of West Bengal. Their technique of lost wax casting is named after their tribe. The tribe extends from Bihar to West Bengal and Orissa; members are distant cousins of the Madhya Pradesh Dokras. A few hundred years ago the Dokras of Central and Eastern India travelled south as far as Kerala and north as far as Rajasthan. Dokra also spelled Dhokra is a brass or bronze casting made using the lost wax