Indian artisans make various types of brass
items, acclaimed as much for their beauty and strength of form as their
utility. Traditional skills of casting, ornamenting & engraving
reveal great dexterity, delicacy and varied tastes of Indians. Modern
innovations in this Craft include new items such as, intricately carved
lamp stands, teapots, wineglasses and butter dishes.
The
unique brass work of Pembarthi, in Andhra Pradesh, reflects the art
forms of the nearby Lepakshi, Orugallu, and Ramappa temples. A wide
range of brassware, mostly in traditional repousse or beaten designs, is
made in Andhra Pradesh. The articles include pots, flowers vases, lamp
stands, panels, napkin rings, curtain rings, paperweights and door
handles. The designs cover a wide variety of leaf and floral motifs, the
most popular being a stylized goose.
Bihar is known for a special item made with the flexible brass and
silver fish, made by a goldsmith community, concentrated at Haveli
Kharagpur in Monghyr district. The modern Craftof engine-turning work on
metals, mostly silver, is practiced in Porbandar and Jamnagar, in
Gujrat. The process involves the shaping of the articles by hand, with
the zigzag pattern made with the help of a special machine, equipped
with grooved plates.

Jagadhri and Rewari are the home of brass utensils with their
traditional qualities of strong functional form and visual harmony in
Haryana. A village named Gangua in Hissar, produces the now famous,
elaborately assembled and delicately carved cart of the Gaddi Lohar, the
itinerant rural blacksmith.
In Kashmir, bowls, cooking vessels, flasks, samovars for brewing tea,
cups, tumblers and similar products are the most common items, often
embellished with highly stylized motifs like the badam (almond), the
mehrab (arch), chinar leaf and intertwining vine, and exhibiting a
degree of skill at deep engraving or repousse.