Showpiece price in Bangladesh (2026): handmade pieces worth buying

How much does a showpiece cost in Bangladesh?

A handmade Bangladeshi showpiece costs from about ৳20 for a small painted clay pot to ৳5,000 for a carved wooden piece, and a cast brass figure from Dhamrai starts at around ৳1,500. Most pages that rank for "showpiece price" sell something else. BDStall's October 2026 price list, for example, is a mix of artificial flowers in vases (৳602–৳876), printed canvas sets, tissue boxes and a car-dashboard ship at ৳2,320. This guide covers the pieces Bangladeshi makers still make by hand: what each one is, where it's made, what it costs, and how to tell it from a copy.

Our view: buy one or two pieces with a maker and a place behind them, such as a Dhamrai brass horse or a Rajshahi shokher hari, rather than ten resin figures. One good piece on a shelf says more than a crowded showcase.

Handmade showpiece prices at a glance

These come from dated reports and shop pages, so expect some drift. The sections below explain each one.

How much do rickshaw showpieces cost?

A hand-painted metal rickshaw miniature costs ৳300 to ৳1,000, depending on its size and the vehicle. In October 2026 Shoilpik Gallery listed its hand-painted metal replicas at ৳400 and ৳480 for a rickshaw, ৳300 for a bicycle, ৳350 to ৳700 for a van, ৳550 to ৳950 for a CNG and ৳950 for a gorur gari (bullock cart). BeshiDeshi had a 6-inch rickshaw in metal and enamel paint, made in Bangladesh, on sale at ৳500 against a listed ৳1,000.

These miniatures borrow the look of Dhaka's rickshaw painting, which UNESCO added to its intangible heritage list in December 2023. Our rickshaw art guide explains how to tell brushwork from a print, and who still paints. A ৳300 to ৳500 rickshaw is also one of the better small gifts; see our guide to gifts under ৳500 and ৳1,000.

Where do brass and bell metal showpieces come from?

Mostly from Dhamrai, about 40 kilometres from Dhaka, where a few families still cast brass by the lost-wax method. A craftsman models the piece in a wax of beeswax and paraffin, coats it in clay and heats it, so the wax melts out and leaves a mould. Molten brass is poured in, and the clay is broken away. Each mould is used once, so every piece is a little different.

• The shift to showpieces. Dhamrai had at least 40 brass and bronze factories before independence, and only five still worked in 2021. With little demand for brass plates, they now make mostly showpieces and collectables, The Business Standard reported in August 2021.
• The price. At Sukanta Banik's Dhamrai Metal Crafts, the cheapest cast figure cost ৳1,500 in 2022, and one statue takes two to three months to make. The top end is far higher: a 550 kg, six-foot statue for a temple in Pabna cost ৳12 lakh.
• What you'll find. Elephants, horses, owls, Buddhas, deities and brass chess sets.

Bell metal (kansa) is sold by weight. Amar Desh put pure bell metal at ৳1,800 to ৳2,500 per kilogram in October 2026, depending on quality and work. A puja bell cost ৳400 to ৳1,000, an incense burner ৳600 to ৳1,500 and an engraved puja plate ৳2,000 to ৳3,500. Besides Dhamrai, the paper named Shankharibazar and Tantibazar in Old Dhaka, Kagmari in Tangail, Islampur in Jamalpur and Kansat in Chapainawabganj.

To clean kansa, the same report suggests tamarind water or lemon juice with a little salt or baking soda, then a dry cotton cloth. A shop polish costs ৳100 to ৳250 for a medium plate or bowl.

What is dhokra, and is it Bangladeshi?

Dhokra (or dokra) is a lost-wax metal craft of tribal artisans in India. Bankura district in West Bengal counts it among its own crafts, and calls Bikna village the home of the art. So a piece sold as "dhokra" is usually Indian.

Bangladesh's own lost-wax tradition is Dhamrai's, and the two are related. The Daily Star called Ananda Pal of Dhamrai a pioneer of the technique in the country. In 2014 the paper reported that in his twenties he and Mosharraf Hossain from his village started copying metal pieces, influenced by Dhokra artists. If a seller calls a piece dhokra, ask where it was cast. If you want a Bangladeshi piece, buy one made in Dhamrai.

What is shokher hari?

Shokher hari is a painted clay pot from Rajshahi, made today mainly for display. It's the best-value handmade showpiece in this guide.

• Who makes it. The family of Sushanta Kumar Pal in Basantapur village, Paba upazila. Agamir Somoy reported in April 2026 that in the village's potters' quarter, only his family still makes them. He has worked in clay for about 38 years and taken his pots to Japan, Sri Lanka and Nepal.
• What it looks like. Red, blue, green, purple or ochre paint, with lotuses, fish, rice stalks, Lakshmi owls and vermilion boxes, his son Mrityunjoy Kumar Pal told the Dhaka Tribune in April 2025.
• What it costs. Tk20 to Tk1,000 in 2025, across small pots, four-pot sets, trays, the five-piece panch saji, clay dolls and toys. In 2026 Agamir Somoy put potters' clay goods at the fairs at the same ৳20 to ৳1,000.

Where to buy: at the Pahela Baishakh fairs. In 2025 the family planned stalls at two, including the one at the folk art museum in Sonargaon.

What do terracotta and clay showpieces cost?

Clay is the cheapest handmade showpiece, and you can buy it on the pavement. Haal Fashion checked prices at the stalls in front of Science Lab and Doel Chattar in April 2025:

• Terracotta plaques and portraits: ৳200 to ৳1,000.
• Clay lampshades: ৳300 to ৳700.
• Planters set with mirror pieces: ৳250 to ৳700.
• Painted pots: ৳100 to ৳200.
• Clay toys: ৳20 to ৳50.

The same report lists stalls at Shahbag, Shishu Academy, the front of Dhaka College, New Market, Karwan Bazar's DIT market, Dhanmondi 27, Gulshan 2, Mirpur 2 and Agargaon. Craft shops such as Aarong carry clay pieces at higher prices.

Are wooden, bamboo, cane and jute showpieces worth buying?

Yes, and they're the lightest handmade pieces, which matters on a rented shelf.

• Turned wood. In four villages of Keshabpur, Jashore (Altapol, Kandarpapur, Barenga and Mangalkot), home workshops turn mahogany, ipil-ipil, sapodilla and neem on motor-driven lathes into at least 40 kinds of showpieces, toys and utensils: vases, candle stands, pen holders and powder cases. The trade turns over about ৳120 crore a year, Jugantor reported in August 2026. These are plain, useful pieces rather than carvings.
• Carved wood. Carving costs more. Craftopias Carnival, with workshops in Bogura and Dhaka, listed a hand-carved wall piece of a pond with country boats and water lilies at ৳5,000 in October 2026.
• Bamboo and cane. BeshiDeshi listed a cane tricycle with a detachable bamboo bucket, 11 inches tall and made in Bangladesh, at ৳1,000 on sale (listed at ৳1,500).
• Jute. Aarong listed braided jute decorative pieces at ৳214 and ৳279, and jute jars at ৳625 to ৳920.

How can you tell a handmade showpiece from a resin copy?

Pick it up, tap it and turn it over. Most figurines sold today are resin (polyresin), and "cold-cast bronze" is resin with metal powder mixed in, HollowMade's September 2026 guide explains. Many figures labelled bronze are exactly that.

• Weight. Resin feels light for its size. A solid cast metal figure is several times heavier than a resin one of the same size.
• Temperature. Resin warms to your hand almost at once. Metal and ceramics feel cool for a few seconds.
• Sound. Tap it with a fingernail. Resin answers with a dull thud, brass with a ring.
• Seams. A faint line down an arm or a spine, where two mould halves met, means resin or plastic. Quickly made metal pieces also show mould lines and rough patches, an appraiser told House Beautiful in February 2026.
• Magnet. Brass isn't magnetic. If a magnet sticks, the piece is plated iron or steel.
• The maker. Ask who made it and where. A lost-wax piece from Dhamrai is cast once, so two identical pieces are a warning.

Resin isn't wrong in itself, and even craft shops sell it: BeshiDeshi listed a resin lotus pond at ৳1,200, and Craftopias a resin water-lily wall piece at ৳3,500. Just pay a resin price for resin, not a brass price.

How should you place showpieces in a drawing room?

Fewer, grouped, and at different heights.

• Group in odd numbers. Groups of three or five look more natural than pairs, stylist Sam Sutherland told Ideal Home in October 2025, and mixing heights and textures keeps a group from looking flat. Try a brass horse, a clay pot and a small wooden piece.
• Low glass centre table: several small, light pieces, nothing heavy, Ittefaq advised in 2023.
• Entrance or stair landing: clay or wooden pieces.
• Lit glass shelves: glass, crystal or ceramic, which catch the light. Keep a corner showcase for one collection.
• Edit the showcase. Keep the five things you love and put the rest away. Our drawing room decoration ideas explain why one good piece beats twenty.
• Rented flat: light pieces in jute, cane or clay, on shelves you'll take with you, and nothing breakable above the bed. See our guide to decorating a small rented flat.

Where can you buy handmade showpieces?

• At the source. Dhamrai for cast brass: Sukanta Banik's showroom is in Rathkhola, and in 2022 he said he doesn't courier detailed pieces, so go in person. Shankharibazar and Tantibazar for kansa. The Boishakh fairs for shokher hari.
• On the pavement. The clay stalls at Doel Chattar and Science Lab.
• Online. BeshiDeshi and Shoilpik Gallery list rickshaw-art pieces, and Aarong lists jute and other decor. Read the material line, not the headline, and get the size in centimetres. Our guide to home decor shops in Bangladesh compares delivery and return terms.

If you make showpieces in brass, wood, clay or rickshaw paint, you can sell them on JADUZ, a curated marketplace for Bangladeshi makers. Makers are vetted with a portfolio, proof of making and identity, and every piece is approved before it goes live. Buyers pay cash on delivery anywhere in Bangladesh. See selling home decor and selling wood and metal work.