old looking inkwell ? info

hey folks

anyone have any ideas or info on this.

looks decidedly old, inkwell maybe

any thoughts comments appreciated

 

Gracious ! Was that thing buried for a 100 years ?!? Hard to tell,but I get a Chinese vibe.

 

looks like an ink well....either buried for a while or poorly cast.....imo

 

Kind of looks like an onion....sitting on a base.......but I DO have one cataract!!! Hmmmmmm.....

 

interesting, never thought about the buried idea

it has got small details that make me think it was once more onate

 

good spot inh, theres definitely some sort of detail or writing there, or once was

ill try and get a closer pic

 

I agree with Komokwa...looks like a poor casting. With 'casting fins' in the lid that form those lacy edges. Looks like a primitive piece.

 

thanks for the info sabre

how primitive are we talking

im getting images of caveman with quills behind there ears !!

 

lol charlie

 

It is an Indian bindi or pigment box. Bindi's are the decorations on the forehead. The peacock signifies beauty.

 

No quills yet, I did some real research:

 

interesting aj thanks.

i bought what i thought was an old wooden pigment box once, which turned out to be quite modern

u reckon this is another made to look old ?

 

That was my first thought. But then again, I've never seen this kind of fake aging. Or real aging, for that matter.

 

The aging looks a bit like the piece bottom left of this page of Roman fibulae
http://www.dutchartefacts.nl/?page_id=2849
Needless to say, there is no way your box can be that old.
Maybe take it to a local museum? It doesn't have to be specialized in Indian artifacts, as long as know their brass and bronze.

Or maybe @springfld.arsenal has come across this kind of encrustation.

 

i mean yeah, i think id be more impressed if it was a repro !

 

Thank you! I was about to inquire as to whether it was sensible to have an iron vessel meant for storage of liquid, but couldn't think what else it would be. "Pigment" puts my worried mind at rest.

 

Oh, and meant to say, my take was same as those who say "bad cast"...

And then buried.

 

perhaps they buried it as it was so badly cast !!

 

But buried in what?