Amongst the things I inherited from my parents are a selection of copper and brass pots. All came back with them when they retired from Mombasa and have subsequently moved to the half-dozen houses they had and then up to Scotland to us and back down to England.
The largest, at top left, is a water-pot, and is, according to the list typed by my mother, of Indian origin. It has a rounded bottom so is a nuisance as an ornament as it keeps tipping over.
However, whoever made the pot had enough pride in their product to mark it. I would love to know what the writing means because it might provide a little more detail of the history of the article. Sadly, years of wear and the vigorous cleaning to which Kitetu subjected copper and brass ornaments - they were cleaned using a lemon cut in half and dipped in the dirt - has worn a hole in the bottom of the pot.
There were Indian communities all along the East African coast but I would guess that this came from Zanzibar.
The second piece is brass and much more substantial. Sadly, my mother's two lists don't mention it.
The copper pot, right, was bought by my mother in Zanzibar. She described it as having "a wide lip for plants" but I'm sure this wasn't its original purpose.
It, too, has seen better days. Being copper, the metal is soft and the pot has obviously been dropped on several occasions.
I have a recollection of another copper pot and it is confirmed in this clip from a photo of the last house we had in Mombasa, at the end of Cliff Avenue. It's seen at the left of the veranda and was a big pot which held a fern of some sort. I don't recall this one coming to England.
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