Nepalese Bronze Beer or Wine Ewer (Dhalacha)

This ewer, known as a dhalacha, of footed, bulbous form is surmounted by a curved, ridged neck and flaring rim, the spout issuing from a collared head of a makara; makaras being sea monsters that balance the universe on their backs as they move through the cosmic ocean, in Indian-Tibetan cosmology. They have the jaws of a crocodile, the paws of a lion and the trunk of an elephant.

Ewers such as this one were used in Nepal to serve wine or local beer (chhaang), and to offer alcohol to religious images.

The ewer is in excellent condition.