Matsya - Black Terracotta Fish Pair

The Matsya pair is at its best when placed as a tableau: the two fish facing the same direction or angled toward each other, on a coffee table tray, a console, or a low wooden shelf. They work naturally in the context of other Mriga pieces - alongside the Ranthambore Tiger, the Pakshi Uruli, or the Aranya wall tile and equally well as standalone objects in a curated shelf arrangement.

The scale texture catches light differently throughout the day: in direct morning light, the petal-impressions throw tiny shadows; in softer evening light, the fish become almost monolithic. Rotate their position occasionally, this is an object that rewards attention.

Sold as a set of two. Individual fish available on request.

Material: Black terracotta (smoke-fired)
Dimensions: Big Fish - 9 in Length x 3 in Height
Small Fish - 7 in Length x 2.5 in Height
Finish: Natural smoke-fired black, no paint or dye
Care: Wipe with dry or barely damp cloth.
Ships worldwide from Chennai, India.

The Matsya pair is hand-built in two sizes - a larger and a smaller fish, each shaped individually from black terracotta clay. The scales are applied by hand: each petal-shaped scale is pressed into the clay surface one at a time, overlapping the one before it, row by row from tail to head.

Both fish are smoke-fired together in rice husk, producing the uniform deep black finish of the Sawaii tradition.

Sawai Madhopur district sits at the edge of the Ranthambore forest in eastern Rajasthan, the homeland of one of India's most quietly extraordinary craft traditions. Sawaii potters have worked this black clay for generations, hand-shaping and hand-etching figures that carry the region's mythological imagination: animals, deities, and the creatures that blur the line between the two.