Old hand beaten and stamped Central Asian “Lotus” tea strainer.

Much wider than our English cup strainers, this was designed for use with a tea bowl or tea pot. (possibly a brightly hand painted Tsarist Gardnerware Teapot, see our examples.)

It has a romantic, almost Art Nouveau feel, various “lotus-like” flowers, buds even two pods that remind me of a Buddhist Conch Shell.

Nothing is flat or stable except the smooth, classic lobed central strainer,
the rest all flows and swirls, both undulating and scallopped.

The brass has a glowing, mild patina, polished by handling/use, although there is a build up of dust in the recesses,
I’d personally, only lightly oil it. (I wouldn’t polish it, it would only remove the character/age, revealing fresh metal.)
Perhaps a rub with a dry cloth just to warm it up, a little?)

It could be Kashmiri or Iranian or, or ? (Abdul found it in Western Pakistan, which means very little, as it could have travelled a long way before that.)

Age: Late 19th/ early 20th century.

Size: L 155 mm x W 102 mm

Weight: 93 grams.