Carved Teak Tika Box From Banswara - 19th Century

This wonderfully characterful 19th-century carved tika box originates from Banswara in southern Rajasthan, India. Hand-carved from solid teak, it was traditionally used to store kumkum and other coloured powders used during Hindu religious and ceremonial practices. These powders could be applied to the forehead as a tika or used as part of daily worship and ritual.

The box is formed around a central column with four individual lidded compartments, each carved from the timber with a projecting handle allowing the lids to be lifted and swung aside. The tops are decorated with simple incised geometric and floral motifs, including stylised lotus-like designs.

Rising prominently from the centre is a wonderfully naïve carved peacock finial. The peacock has longstanding associations with beauty, prosperity and divinity in Indian culture and is frequently encountered in traditional Indian decorative arts.

More than a century of handling and use has given the teak a deep, warm patina, with softened edges, irregularities and wear adding enormously to its character. Both sculptural and functional, this unusual piece is a particularly attractive example of vernacular Indian craftsmanship and makes a fascinating decorative or collectable object.

• Origin: Banswara, Rajasthan, India
• Date: 19th century
• Materials: Teak wood
• Features: Four individual compartments with rotating lids; carved geometric and floral motifs; central stylised peacock finial; hand-carved construction
• Condition: Good antique condition with age-related wear, marks and a rich patina consistent with 19th-century use
• Dimensions: W30 × D10 × H20 cm
• Weight: 1.35 kg