The Ranthambore Tiger - Black Terracotta Figurine

Place The Ranthambore Tiger at the end of a console, on a stack of art books, or on a low shelf where it can be seen at eye level. It reads completely differently from every angle, the wave-etching on the flank catches light differently than the front-facing roar. It is one of those objects that reveals itself slowly to a room.

Works as a standalone statement piece or as part of a larger Mriga vignette alongside the Aranya wall tile or Matsya fish pair. Equally at home in a study, a living room, or an entryway.

Material: Black terracotta (smoke-fired)
Dimensions: 8 in length × 4.5 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 Ranthambore tiger is hand-built in black terracotta using a coil-and-press technique. Once the base form is complete, the potter etches the entire body surface using a comb tool, producing the signature arc-and-wave pattern that moves across the flanks, shoulders, and haunches in continuous repeating lines. The effect is kinetic, the body looks like it is still in motion even when seated.

The head is modelled separately and joined before firing. The piece is then smoke-fired in rice husk, producing the deep black finish that is the hallmark of Sawaii work.

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.