"Hammered from brass, engraved by hand, filled with colour — and made in a tradition that has been doing exactly this for four hundred years."
PRODUCT DETAILS
Name: Hand-Engraved Brass Peacock Bowl — Enamel Inlay
Craft: Traditional Indian brassware — hand-engraving (Nakashi) with enamel colour inlay
Material: Solid brass with hand-applied enamel
Design: Wide footed bowl with a scalloped rim — the interior surface hand-engraved with a dense all-over floral lattice ground, with large peacock motifs in full fan display rendered in deep teal and green enamel distributed across the bowl's surface
Base: Smooth turned brass pedestal foot
Finish: Polished brass with hand-filled teal, green, and gold enamel detailing
Dimensions: Approx. 7 – 8 inches diameter x 5 – 6 inches height
Use: Decorative display bowl — suitable for dry fruits, potpourri, keys, or as a standalone centrepiece
Care: Wipe with a soft dry cloth; avoid abrasive cleaners; do not submerge in water; polish with a brass cloth occasionally to maintain lustre; not recommended for wet or acidic food items
THE STORY BEHIND IT
India's tradition of handcrafted brassware is among the oldest and most technically sophisticated decorative craft traditions in the world. Drawing on centuries of accumulated knowledge — Persian, Mughal, and Indian techniques of metalwork, engraving, and enamelling fusing across generations of artisan families — the craft produces objects that are simultaneously functional in form and extraordinary in detail. By the 19th century, India's engraved and lacquered brassware was being exported across Europe and beyond. The tradition that drives it has never stopped being done by hand.
The technique visible on this bowl is called Nakashi — hand-engraving. A craftsman works directly onto the brass surface with fine chisels and burins, cutting the design into the metal freehand, line by line. The dense floral lattice that covers the interior of this bowl — thousands of individual incised marks forming a continuous, breathing ground of interlocking leaves and tendrils — is the product of that process. No stencil, no mechanical guide, no shortcut of any kind. Then, into the engraved recesses, enamel colour is hand-filled and fired — the deep teal and forest green of the peacock forms developing their richness through the contrast with the warm gold of the surrounding brass.
The peacock motif in Indian decorative craft carries deep resonance — a symbol of beauty, grace, divine love, and royal presence that has appeared in Indian metalwork, textiles, and architecture for centuries. Here, each peacock is rendered in full fan display, its tail feathers spreading in a carved composition that takes full advantage of the bowl's curved surface — the feathers following the contour of the form, the whole motif alive with the kind of assured draughtsmanship that comes from a tradition that has been drawing this exact subject, in this exact material, for generations.
HOW TO STYLE IT
Place it as a centrepiece on a dining table, a console, or a coffee table — filled with dried flowers, potpourri, or decorative objects, or simply left empty where the engraved interior becomes its own visual world. Its warm brass and deep teal palette sits beautifully against dark wood, marble, and warm neutral surfaces, and brings an immediate sense of heritage and craft to any space. Equally at home in a contemporary interior as in a traditionally decorated one — the kind of object that looks as though it has always been exactly where you put it. An exceptional gift for anyone who appreciates the depth and beauty of Indian decorative craft.
Handcrafted in India. Your purchase directly supports the artisan who made it.
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