Pichwai Cow Jars - Set of 2 Round Lidded Metal Jars, 4-Inch

What Pichwai is

Pichwai is the devotional painting tradition of Nathdwara in Rajasthan - cloth hangings made to hang behind the Shrinathji deity, in which the cow is never background but subject, garlanded and attended. Krishna there is the cowherd of Vrindavan, so the herd is inseparable from him. The artwork on these jars is taken from that idiom and applied as a laminated panel rather than painted on, which is what keeps it sharp at this size.

Why these

They are the cheapest thing in the range that still looks like a considered gift, which is why they go out fifty at a time. A pair in a box reads as a present; a single 4-inch jar does not. The bodies are iron with a coloured polish finish and the crystal knob is the detail that lifts them - it catches light on a shelf the way a plain lid would not.

Which colour

• Red - the traditional festival colour, and the one most ordered for Diwali
• Mint - the softest, and the one that suits a room with no other Indian decor
• Pink - warm rose, popular for weddings and baby showers
• Orange - marigold, the brightest of the four

Each set contains two jars of the same colour. If you want a spread of colours, order more than one set.

Where they work

On a pooja shelf for supari, elaichi or kumkum. On a console holding rings and earrings. On a coffee table with almonds or wrapped chocolates in them. Two of them on a mandir shelf either side of a deity is the arrangement customers photograph most.

Gifting

This is a bulk return gift. Diwali, Golu, weddings, housewarmings, a Ganesh Chaturthi function - the pair-in-a-box format means one set per guest. They are also the piece people fill with dry fruit or sweets before giving, which is why the lid matters.

Care

Wipe with a dry cloth. Do not soak them, do not put them in a dishwasher, and keep water off the laminated artwork panel.