House-hold utensils, Lankathilake, Sri Lanka.

A brass container used to carry milk.

Various brass household utensils.

The brass utensils used in households in Sri-Lanka before the 1950s were heavy and needed constant polishing to keep them free of the green verdigris. If holed they could be easily repaired by the travelling tinker who visited the villages each year. These items were never thrown away. I saw these being sold as antiques at the entrance to the Lankathilaka Vihara.