Surahi Set (3 Pieces)

About this piece

Surahi Set (3 Pieces) — three long-necked surahis in blue naqshi. Made by hand from sheesham (rosewood) and coloured lac and finished in naqshi lac, the pattern scratched back through the colour, in the Sillanwali Handicrafts workshop in Sillanwali, Sargodha, Punjab, Pakistan. It costs PKR 8,800. It is ready to ship and delivered within 3 to 4 days anywhere in Pakistan, paid in cash on delivery.

Three long-necked surahis in graduated heights, finished in deep blue lac and cut back to white with the sathrī in bands of fine pattern. A surahi is the hardest shape in the workshop to work. The body swells and then draws into a long narrow neck, so the diameter under the tool changes constantly as the piece turns — a band that reads even across the belly will crowd and then stretch as it climbs the neck unless the artisan changes his spacing continuously to compensate. On a plate or a box the surface is predictable; here it is not, and the whole set has to be worked to the same judgement. Sold as a set of three because graduated heights are what make them stand as a group. On a mantel, a console or a wide windowsill the step in height gives the arrangement a shape that three matching surahis never would. These are display pieces, not vessels — they are not sealed for liquid. Made in Sillanwali, Sargodha, and cut individually, so no two sets carry the same banding. Dust with a soft dry cloth, keep water and polish sprays off the lac, and keep them out of direct sunlight so the blue stays deep.

Every piece is made by hand, so the wood grain, carving and colour vary a little from the photo. That variation is normal and is what makes each one its own.