Deccan Surahi 02

This is an elegant, cast copper, Deccan water flask or surahi with lid, from North Karnataka. This water flask has a large bulbous body, a low ring-mat foot and a long tapering neck. The ring from the screw lid was probably so it could be attached to either a belt or a harness. Comparable examples can be seen in Mark Zebrowski's "Gold, Silver and Bronze from Mughal India", cat.284, p.191 of a bidri flask with a lid.
Flasks and flower vases seemed to have been an important part of the culture as they can be often seen on prominent display in Deccan and Mughal paintings, and are also featured in frescoes in palaces of the time.