19th-Century Indian Brass Boxes

Brass Boxes

• Brass served various purposes in 19th-century India, including wide use in storage; it was inexpensive and resisted corrosion. Brass breadboxes were used for holding chapatis (unleavened flatbread or roti). A simple 19th-century brass tinderbox would hang from a person's belt. Mughal Indian writing boxes used by English officials were highly decorated with foliage and floral scroll work. Indian brass boxes housed dowries as well as jewelry.

Pembarti Brass

• Indian brass is world renowned. During the Mughal period (1526 to 1858), rulers were admirers and promoters of art. Many brass items were produced --- and still are today --- from Pembarti, a small village in Andhra Pradesh. Artisans transformed sheets of brass into everyday objects, from pillboxes to breadboxes. In Pembarti, Indian brass craftsmanship was recognized as a source to serve in and decorate European households in India and on the continent.

Brass Carving

• Practiced in India since ancient times, the art of brass carving encompasses a few techniques. Engraving, known as khudai, takes place on coated unpolished brass. A pointed steel pencil etches the design into the metal. "Chasing" refers to hand stamping a design with a handmade punch. Naqqashi is a complex floral and calligraphic chasing forming highly designed items. Carving takes place in the traditional style using handheld metal hammer and chisels, usually creating filigrees.

Antique Brassware

• Antique brassware appears as a shade of golden yellow. It usually has a soft patina like that of old silver. The patina on brass is greenish blue caused by oxidation, however. The maker's or manufacturer's mark generally appears on the base, on a handle or inside a lid of a box.