Antique Brass Four Peacock Diya, 2 kg

Name: Antique Brass Four Peacock Diya, 2 kg
Brand: PEETAL PARAMPARA
SKU: PP-BR-POO-MAY-049
Price: 5799.0 INR
Availability: InStock

An antique brass diya with four cast peacocks ringing a single turned column.

Rs. 5,799.00

Price includes GST.

Weight: 2,000g

Material: Brass, unlacquered, cast in parts on a turned column
Finish: Antique, with darkened recesses and the raised work rubbed back
Motif: Four cast peacocks, two held out on curved arms and two on turned pedestals
Use: Lit with oil and cotton wicks for daily pooja and for aarti
In the box: 1 brass peacock diya

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.

Four birds ring the column. The upper pair are held out on curved arms, the lower pair stand on their own turned pedestals on the base plate, and all four have the same hooked beak curling back to the breast. The oil pan above them is lobed rather than pointed. The base plate carries more oil than the pan does, with a leaf-shaped well at the front and a shallow oval behind each of the lower birds, and it sits on cast feet spread out like fanned tails. The dark lies deep in the recesses while the raised metal has been rubbed back to gold, so the birds read light against a column that stays dark in the hollows.

Technique

Antique

What is it?

A peacock diya is an oil lamp that carries the bird as its motif, cast on the stem, the rim or the top, and lit the same way as any other diya, with oil in the pan and a cotton wick laid in the rim.

Also known as a mayur deep, mor diya, pital deepam, peacock oil lamp or antique bird diya.

What is in the box?

1 brass peacock diya

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?

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. The birds, the pan and the base plate are all cast, which is where the 2,000 g goes. A plated lamp built to the same outline would be hollow and would feel light in the hand.

Will it look exactly like the photograph?

No. The antique finish is rubbed back by hand, so how much gold shows on the birds and how dark the recesses stay differs from one lamp to the next.

Is this the same as an aarti lamp?

No. An aarti lamp has a handle and is carried in a circle before the deity. This one stands on a base plate with its own oil wells and is lit where it is placed.

How do I clean it after pooja?

Wipe each well out with a dry cloth while it is still warm. Keep water and lemon away from the recesses, because the dark in them is the finish and acid takes it straight off.

Can I use ghee instead of oil?

Yes. Ghee hardens in the shallow wells on the base plate as they cool, so wipe those out the same evening or the residue holds the next wick off the metal.

Who is the figure at the top?

We are not naming the figure yet. It stands on a turned seat at the very top of the column, above the peacocks, and the identification is being confirmed with the maker before a name goes on the page.

How many oil wells does it have?

We have not printed a count yet. The pan at the top is one lobed well, and the base plate adds a leaf-shaped well at the front with a shallow oval behind each lower bird. The full number is being checked from the lamp in hand.