Antique Brass Vaastu Tortoise, 650 g

Name: Antique Brass Vaastu Tortoise, 650 g
Brand: PEETAL PARAMPARA
SKU: PP-BR-VAS-TOR-176
Price: 3599.0 INR
Availability: InStock

A cast brass tortoise with a scaled shell and the head carried clear of the ground.

Rs. 3,599.00

Price includes GST.

Weight: 650g

Material: Brass, unlacquered
Finish: Antique, with darkened recesses
Shell: Scutes filled with overlapping scale work, a border of oblong panels at the rim
Base: Four short legs, so the belly sits clear of the surface
Use: Kept indoors as a vaastu piece, often on a plate or in a shallow bowl of water
In the box: 1 brass tortoise

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 shell is divided into scutes and every one of them is filled with overlapping scales, cut small enough that the pattern changes direction from panel to panel. A border of oblong panels runs round the rim below them. The head is up and forward rather than tucked in, with the eye cut as a ring and a pair of scrolls at the cheek. Dark sits in the cut lines and the raised scales stay bright; that is the finish, not dirt.

Technique

Antique

What is it?

In vaastu practice a tortoise, or kachua, is kept indoors as a household emblem, often set on a plate or in a shallow bowl of water near the entrance. We describe the practice; we make no claim about outcomes.

Also known as a kachua, vastu kachua, tortoise statue or pital kachua.

What is in the box?

1 brass tortoise

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 the brass solid or plated?

Solid, cast in one piece. At 650 g for something that sits in a palm it could not be anything else, and a kitchen scale will confirm it faster than we can argue it.

Will it look exactly like the photograph?

Not exactly. The scale work is chased in by hand and the dark in the recesses settles unevenly, so the balance of bright and dark shifts from one tortoise to the next.

Where should it be placed?

In vaastu convention a tortoise is kept near the entrance or in the north of a room, often on a plate or in a shallow bowl of water. Households differ on this and we would not tell you your practice.

Is it solid or hollow?

Solid all the way through, including the shell. Nothing is filled or weighted, so the 650 g is metal, and the piece stays put if a hand brushes past it.

Can it sit in a bowl of water?

It can, and standing water will darken unlacquered brass and can mark the bowl under it. Lift it out and dry it whenever the water is changed, and expect the bright areas to dull in time.