Golden Deer Bastar Lohshilp Wrought Iron Tea Lights

Forged by hand in Bastar, Chhattisgarh, by artisans in the Lohshilp tradition, a wrought iron craft that traces back to the Iron Smith community that once made tools and weapons for the forest tribes of Central India. These deer are shaped without a mold: iron is heated, beaten flat, and bent into form by hand. The golden finish is applied over the iron surface. The result reads as both ancient and spare.

The Iron Smith community of Bastar, Chhattisgarh has worked in Lohshilp, their wrought iron craft, since before the tradition had a name. What began as metalwork for survival became, over centuries, an art form: figures drawn from the forest world around them, shaped by hand from raw iron without the use of casting or molds. These deer are that tradition in a form that holds light.

Two pieces, iron with a golden wash, each one holding a tea light cup. The deer form is lean and direct, no decorative excess, just the silhouette the artisan decided was enough. Lit, the golden iron throws a warm cast across the surface beneath them. Unlit, they hold their own as objects.

Lohshilp Wrought Iron · Bastar, Chhattisgarh · Hand-Forged · Iron Smith Tradition

Care Instructions

• Wipe with a dry, soft cloth.
• Do not immerse in water or use liquid cleaners.
• Remove wax residue with a soft cloth while still warm.
• Polish metal surfaces occasionally with a soft brass cloth.