Coppersmithing and the production of copper utensils is a traditional craft of the Kashmir region of India. Fine-quality utensils were manufactured in the region using hammered, repousse techniques and tinning. Kashmiri copperware was traditionally given as bride gifts, and used for ritual purposes. During the 18th and 19th centuries, Kashmiri copperware was also collected by Europeans in India as evidenced from the collections of Kashmiri copperware that are part of the collections of the Victoria & Albert Museum and the British Museum, donated by collectors who had purchased them in the 19th century. This catalogue is a very interesting and rare artefact, as it contains drawings of the various types of utensils being manufactured, possibly for customers to choose and place orders with the coppersmiths. This type of document, dating to the 19th century, is a record of the breadth of manufacturing and industry in Colonial India as well as of the type of designs that were in vogue at the time.
