Indian Tikka Container, on Footed Plinth

A pair of cups on a base that could have come from a cathedral’s drawer.

This tikka container is a bronze piece made in India in the 19th century, and was commonly used to hold the colored paste applied to the forehead in Hindu rites. Two shallow cups on slim stems sit side by side on a rectangular platform. The openwork base is cast with scrolling foliage and small feet. The bronze is a mottled gold-brown, dark in the openings and worn in the high spots.

About 2 inches tall and 3 inches wide. Small, ornate and a bit like jewelry for a shelf.