Indian Carved Parat, Dough Dish, Mid 20th Century

$140.00

1/5

Indian Carved Parat, Dough Dish, Mid 20th Century

All objects

KOBK.26.OBJ.165

Indian Carved Parat, Dough Dish, Mid 20th Century

$140.00

Specifications

India, mid 20th century

Unmarked; maker unknown, attribution open

A parat, the shallow rimmed dish used for kneading atta

Carved from a single piece of hardwood; four projecting lug handles, tool facets visible in the well, painted sunburst to the base

Paper label to the underside reads, handwritten, 32/50 over printed MADE IN INDIA

47.5 cm wide, 31 cm deep, 6 cm high; 0.85 kg

Cleaned only

Honest age: two shrinkage splits at the junction of the well and the flange, characteristic of the type; uneven dark staining to the underside

Every KOBK object is one of one and carries its age honestly. Expect marks, wear and patina as part of the piece; any specific fault is noted above.

Notes

A parat is where the dough happens. Flour and water go into the well, the raised rim catches whatever tries to escape, and the whole thing sits low enough to lean over and wide enough to get both hands into. In households that made their own roti and chapati, which was most of them, this came out twice a day for years on end.

The timber has opened where the well meets the flange, which is what these tend to do as they dry, and households used to bracket them back together with metal rather than throw them out. That tells you what the thing was worth to the people who had one.