Lost-wax brass and bell metal casting from the tribal villages of Bastar · Chhattisgarh
Dhokra (Dokra) Art
Lost-wax metal casting, practised for thousands of years and still done by hand by tribal families in Bastar.
- GI tagged
- Dispatch in 2 days
The Dhokra workshops are listing their first pieces. Until then, browse the other hubs.
How it is made
Lost-wax casting (Cire perdue), hand-wound beeswax threads, bell metal alloy.
Artisans first hand-sculpt a core of local riverbed clay. Fine threads of beeswax are rolled by hand and carefully wound around the core to capture every delicate contour, eye, and jewelry detail. A thick jacket of clay and paddy husk is wrapped over the wax with a channel left open. Molten bell metal (brass and bronze alloy) is poured into the preheated mould in an open-pit furnace. The molten metal vaporizes and replaces the beeswax. Once cooled, the outer clay shell is hammered open to reveal the raw sculpture, which is then scrubbed with wire brushes and hand-buffed to an antique patina.
- Bastar Dhokra (GI Tagged)
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