Antique Indian Copper Paandaan
Paan was offered first. Before the meal, before the conversation settled — the paandaan came out. In the old household ledgers of the subcontinent, you find the paandaan in the lists of things that were passed down. Not sold. Passed down. This eight-sided copper paandaan is over 100 years old...
The Craft
Hand-Hammering
Raised from a flat sheet under thousands of hammer blows, the dimpled surface a record of the making.
Cutwork
Openwork lace pierced clean through the metal by hand with a fine needle.
Engraving / Qalamzani
Cut into the metal line by line with a fine steel chisel, the qalam.
Naqsheen
Floral and geometric patterns chased into the surface freehand by the naqash.
Used in this pieceSand Casting
Molten brass poured into a sand mould packed by hand, then broken open to free the piece.