Harappan Seal Terracotta Rhinoceros Replica

The one-horned rhinoceros appears on Harappan seals more frequently than almost any other animal, evidence that it moved freely across the subcontinent four thousand years ago, long before it was reduced to the narrow corridor of Kaziranga in Assam. A Molela terracotta artist from Rajasthan pressed this clay replica using the same method the original seal-maker used: raw clay, a carved form, and fire. History compressed into the size of a palm.

The Harappan rhinoceros seal belongs to one of the great lost civilizations of the ancient world, discovered at sites across what is now northwest India and Pakistan. The rhino it depicts roamed wide across the subcontinent then; today it survives only in Kaziranga National Park in Assam, a footnote to an extraordinary contraction. This replica was made by a Molela terracotta artist in Rajasthan, a community whose press-and-fire clay work has its own deep lineage, using the original seal's proportions and composition.

Framed and ready to hang, it carries the particular density of objects that contain more history than their size suggests. The terracotta surface is warm and slightly rough to the touch, the way all fired clay is. It belongs on a wall that gets looked at slowly.

Molela Terracotta · Hand-Pressed Clay · Rajasthan · Harappan Replica

Care Instructions

• Dust gently with a dry, soft cloth, do not wet.
• Hang away from direct sunlight to preserve colours and mirror adhesion.
• Handle with care, the mirror inlay is fragile.
• Do not clean with water or any liquid cleaner.