Deccan, cast and engraved, bimetal lota or water vessel with geometric patterns of copper and brass. At the base and hugging the neck are repeating lappets. This combination of both brass and copper is uniquely Indian and is called Ganga-Jamuna, a poetic reference to the contrasting colours of the water of the Ganges and Jamuna rivers.
The lota is thought to be one of the most ancient Indian vessels, with archaeological discoveries of lotas dating to 1st or 2nd century BC. Early versions were often ridged or fluted so it is thought that they took their shape from hollowed out melons or gourds that were used as water carriers, and this botanical origin continued to dictate its form. More than 1500 years later lotas are still found but the Mughal influence meant many had radically different ornament like the lota here.
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