A VERY LARGE AND MASSIVELY CAST BRONZE TEMPLE URLI, KERALA, 19TH CENTURY Southwestern India. Set with a shallow rounded base, short bulbous sides, and thick everted rim, a single scroll handle to each side, decorated with crescent moons and ornamental designs, the neck with ribs, incised to one side with a short inscription.

Provenance: From a private collection, London, United Kingdom. Inscription '67 KG' and label 'KG 67', as well as an illegible inscription to the interior of the bowl.
Condition: Very good condition commensurate with age showing old wear and weathering, casting flaws, small losses, minor cracks inherent to manufacturing, nicks, scratches, and dents, all as expected from a large temple urli of ca. 150 years of age.

Weight: 67.1 kg
Dimensions: Diameter 74.1 cm, Height 28.5 cm

The Musari community of traditional metal casters of the Kammalan caste in Kerala have perfected the complex technique of casting large utensils in one single piece using lost-wax process. The chakkaru and urli are two important vessels made by the Musaris. So arduous is the process of preparing the clay mold, the wax replica, and the final casting, that elaborate ritual prescriptions are observed by the Musaris for faultless casting.

Literature comparison:
Compare a related example in the collection of the National Handicrafts and Handlooms Museum, New Delhi, illustrated in Jyotindra Jain and Aarti Aggarwala, National Handicrafts and Handlooms Museum, Ahmedabad 1989, page 42.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Christie's London, 20 June 2013, lot 353
Price: GBP 7,500 or approx. EUR 10,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: An Indian or South-East Asian bronze Urli, 19th century