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Brass Dokra flute man figurine, seated musician with raised flute, front view

Side view of Dhokra art flute player showing ribbed wirework surface texture

Close-up of wax-thread detailing on a Dokra brass musician figurine

Brass Flute Man

Curated by Trifed

Trifed product prices are dynamic, kindly enquire to get the details.

Product Details

A seated flute player cast in brass by Dokra metalworker communities of West Bengal, brought to the catalogue through TRIFED. The musician is one of the oldest figures in the Dokra repertoire, and this one carries the craft's signature ribbed surface, built up from threads of wax before the pour. He stands 10.5 inches with the flute raised mid-note. Set him where the light is warm and the story tells itself.

Art TypeDokra

Dimension10.5x7.3.5"

Materials & Care

Each piece is one-of-a-kind due to its handmade nature. Avoid moisture and harsh cleaning agents.

Product Disclosure

SKUTR-BRFL-01

Style CodeTR-BRFL

HSN Code97030000

RegionKolkata

StateWest bengal

Curated byTrifed

Each piece is handcrafted, so slight variations in colour, texture and dimension are natural and celebrate its handmade origin.

Where he belongs: A musician is secular decor, not a deity, which frees him from pooja-room rules. A living room shelf, a study, an entryway console, or an office desk all suit him, anywhere a conversation might start. He also sits comfortably in a bookshelf vignette between spines and small plants.

Pairing: Dokra's dark, earthy brass pairs naturally with wood, terracotta, jute and stone. Place him beside handloom textures or on a wooden chowki rather than against glossy chrome or glass, which fight the rustic finish. A cluster of one large and two small craft pieces reads better than a lone object on a wide shelf.

Light: The ribbed surface is the whole show, so light it across, not straight on. A warm lamp to one side throws the wirework ridges into relief, and the figure changes character between daylight and evening. Avoid harsh white LEDs directly above.

Scale and spacing: At 10.5 x 7 x 3.5 inches, this is a tall presence on a shelf. Give him at least 12 inches of vertical clearance and keep the immediate background plain so the silhouette of the raised flute reads at a glance.

Protection: Dokra brass wears its slightly dark, antique tone by design, so it needs no polishing to stay honest. Keep it away from damp corners and bathroom humidity, dust with a dry soft cloth, and let the finish deepen naturally with the years.

Every Dokra figure begins rough and ends patient. What sets this musician apart is not the casting alone but the hours of hand work on either side of it, the detailing before the pour and the finishing after. That is the part no die-cast copy can fake.

The wax threads: Over a clay core, the karigar presses out long threads of beeswax and resin, thin as noodles, and winds them around the form one beside the next. Those coils become the ribbed texture you can feel on the figure's body and arms. On a piece this size, the thread work alone can take the better part of a day.

The details by hand: The flute, the fingers on it, the ears and the headgear are shaped separately in wax and joined on. This is where the figure gets its character. Two flute men from the same workshop will hold their instruments a little differently, because no jig or mould decides those angles.

Casting: The waxed figure is coated in clay, baked, and drained of wax, then filled with molten brass in a single pour. The metal takes every ridge the threads left behind, down to the joins where the flute meets the hands. The mould is broken to release the figure, and it casts exactly once.

Fettling and filing: Once the clay is broken away, the caster cuts off the pour channels and files the joins by hand. Rough edges are smoothed, but the thread texture is deliberately left alone. Over-polishing would erase the evidence of the wirework.

The finish: Instead of a mirror shine, the surface is rubbed to a soft, dark lustre that sits somewhere between bronze and umber. This muted finish is a Dokra signature, and it is why the piece reads as old even when it is new. It also means the figure never demands polishing, only dusting.

Run a thumb along the ribs on the musician's torso and you are touching the path of a single wax thread, laid by hand in a West Bengal workshop, and preserved in brass at the moment of the pour.

Where is Dhokra art from?

Dhokra art comes from the metalworker communities of eastern and central India, chiefly West Bengal, Odisha, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand. This flute player was made in the West Bengal tradition, in the Kolkata region cluster network. Each region has its own recognisable style within the same lost-wax technique.

How is Dhokra art made?

Dhokra art is made by the lost-wax method: a clay core is dressed in wax threads, encased in clay, baked so the wax drains out, and then filled with molten brass. The mould is broken to free the finished piece, so every casting is one of a kind. The full cycle for a figure like this can run into weeks.

Which states and districts are famous for Dhokra art?

The districts most associated with Dhokra art are Bastar in Chhattisgarh, Dhenkanal and Mayurbhanj in Odisha, and Bankura and Bardhaman in West Bengal, home to the well-known craft villages of Bikna and Dariapur. This piece belongs to the West Bengal lineage. The same craft goes by Dhokra, Dokra, or bell-metal work depending on the region.

How old is Dhokra art?

Dhokra art is often described as around 4,000 years old, with its lost-wax lineage commonly traced back to artefacts of the Indus Valley such as the Mohenjo-daro dancing girl. The technique has passed down families of metalworkers largely unchanged. Owning a Dokra piece means owning a method, not just an object.

Does Dhokra art have a GI tag?

Within Dhokra art, one regional form, Bastar Dhokra of Chhattisgarh, holds a Geographical Indication registered in 2008. This figurine is from the West Bengal Dokra tradition, so we do not claim a GI tag for it. What we can vouch for is its making: hand cast by a West Bengal cluster through our TRIFED-curated partner.

Which communities practise Dhokra art?

Dhokra art is practised by hereditary metalworker communities, including the Dhokra Damar families of Bengal and Odisha and the Ghadwa metalworkers of Bastar. In West Bengal the craft is concentrated in villages such as Dariapur and Bikna, where whole settlements work in lost-wax casting. Attribution for this piece is at the cluster level, as individual maker names are not recorded.

Why is Dhokra art expensive compared to machine-made decor?

Dhokra art costs more than machine-made decor because each piece consumes its own mould and days of hand work, from winding wax threads to filing the cast by hand. Nothing is reusable and nothing is repeatable, so the price carries real hours, not brand markup. A comparable die-cast figure can be stamped out in minutes.

How do I care for a brass Dokra figurine?

Care for a brass Dokra figurine by dusting it with a dry, soft cloth and keeping it away from moisture and harsh cleaning agents. Do not polish it with brass cleaner, since the dark antique finish is intentional and polishing strips it. Kept dry, the piece needs nothing else for decades.

What is the size of this Brass Flute Man?

The Brass Flute Man measures 10.5 x 7 x 3.5 inches, a tall shelf piece rather than a tabletop miniature. He needs about a foot of vertical clearance to display well. The seated base keeps him stable despite the height.

Is every Dokra flute man piece unique?

Every Dokra flute man is unique because the clay mould is broken to release each casting and can never be reused. The wax threads and details are also laid by hand, so posture, texture and tone vary slightly from piece to piece. Small differences in colour and dimension are the signature of the method, not defects.

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Dokra & Dhokra Craft

Dhokra is an ancient metal craft from India’s tribal regions, including West Bengal, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, and Jharkhand. Practiced for over 4,000 years, it follows traditional lost-wax casting techniques.

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