Brass Keepsake Box with Elephant on Lid

Name: Brass Keepsake Box with Elephant on Lid
Brand: PEETAL PARAMPARA
SKU: PP-BR-BOX-KPB-205
Price: 2099.0 INR
Availability: InStock

A small brass keepsake box with a cast elephant standing on the lid.

Rs. 2,099.00

Price includes GST.

Weight: 400g

Material: Brass, unlacquered
Finish: Antique, with darkened recesses
Interior: One open round compartment, bare brass, no tray or divider
Base: Three cast claw feet
In the box: 1 brass keepsake box with lid and elephant top

Check delivery to your PIN code

Estimated, not a guarantee. Dispatched from Guwahati, Monday to Saturday.

Each piece is shaped and finished by hand, so small differences in weight, size, finish and surface marking are normal and no two are identical. Colour on screen can differ from the metal in daylight. Handmade in India.

The elephant stands on the lid with its trunk curled up, small enough to pinch between two fingers, and that is the handle. Round the shoulder runs a cast twisted rope with a tassel hanging at each side, and a flower with two leaves is set on the front of the belly. The belly itself is dimpled all over from the hammer. Three cast claw feet lift it clear of the table, and the lid edge waves rather than running true.

Technique

Hand Hammered
Antique

What is it?

A keepsake box is the lidded metal pot that sits out on a shelf or a bedside table, small enough to hold rings, coins and sweets and closed enough to keep the dust off them.

Also known as a gift box, trinket box, peetal dabba or elephant showpiece box.

What is in the box?

1 brass keepsake box with lid and elephant top

How do I look after it?

Wash by hand with a mild dishwashing liquid and a soft sponge. Dry fully with a cloth before putting it away — water left standing is what causes spotting.
Brass darkens. It reacts with air and with the oils on your hands, and a piece in daily use will dull within weeks. That is the metal telling you it is not plated.
To bring the shine back on the raised surfaces: a soft dry cloth, and nothing more. The dark in the recesses is the finish, not dirt — lemon, salt and tamarind will strip it out and the pattern will flatten.
Do not use steel wool, scouring pads or bleach.
Not dishwasher safe. Not microwave safe.
If you would rather it stayed dark, leave it alone — a settled patina protects the surface.

How was it made?

Hand Hammered
Antique

Handmade in India

Every piece finished by hand

Solid metal

No plating, nothing to chip

Weighed and listed

In grams, on almost every page

Tin lining stated

Where a vessel is lined, we say so

Questions about this piece

Is this brass solid or plated?

Solid. Four hundred grams is a lot for a box this small, and the weight is in the cast rope, the feet and the elephant rather than in a coating. A kitchen scale checks it.

Will it look exactly like the photograph?

Close, not identical. The belly is hammered by hand and the lid edge waves, so the dimples fall in a different pattern on every box and the two tassels never hang quite level.

Will it mark what I keep inside?

Bare brass can leave a dull mark on silver and a faint metal smell on anything soft left in it for long. Rings and coins are fine loose; keep silver in a pouch or on a felt square.

How big is it inside?

No internal dimension here, because none has been taken, and we will not estimate one from the outside of a photograph. Ask us what you need it to hold and we will measure it.

Is the elephant a separate piece?

It is cast on its own and fixed through the lid. The lid gets lifted by it every time, so take the weight on the body rather than pulling on the raised trunk.