Nepalese Ornate Gourd-form Holy Water Vessel

Two swelling forms, one above the other, and a spout that curls like a raised neck.

This ornate gourd-form holy water vessel comes from Nepal and dates to the 18th century. It is bronze and brass with repousse design. Priests in Nepalese Hindu and Buddhist temples used spouted vessels like this to pour blessed water during worship and purification rites. The pear-shaped upper body carries bands of floral and scrolling work, and a tiered lid with a fringe of small hanging pendants ends in a ribbed bud finial. The lower bulb is reddish and hammered-looking, with dark patches. Twenty and a quarter inches high.

It has the bearing of a thing that expects both hands.