A SMALL ENGRAVED BRASS PILGRIM FLASK
Possibly Northern India or Deccan, Central India, 19th century

Of typical compressed globular shape, with a central hemispherical boss on each side, resting on a rectangular foot, rising to narrow shoulders and a tiny globular spout flanked by two curved handles, the body engraved with a continuous scroll of flower heads and dense foliage, the shape reminiscent of Middle Eastern pilgrim flasks but the decorative vocabulary quintessentially Indian, 14cm high.