Indian Iron Tantric Lingam

Red, rust, and cream, mixed like a marbled endpaper.

This tantric lingam is from Narmada River, Madhya Pradesh, India. It is quartz crystal & iron. Dams planned along the Narmada since the 1940s have steadily removed the dry season that harvesting depends on, so gathering genuine lingams from the riverbed has become close to impossible. Presenting a tall oval with a mottled, almost painterly surface in russet, orange, and ivory. A smoother pale glow sits on the upper left, while darker patches speckle the lower body. It is 9 inches high and 5 in diameter.

A palette that never settled on one idea.