Chinese Iron Fireworks Launcher, Based

Witness a slim pole with a perforated top stands on a square black plinth.

This wood and iron fireworks launcher on a base is from China, and dates to the 19th century. China is generally credited with the invention of gunpowder, and fireworks have long been part of festivals, weddings and the Lunar New Year. Evidently, a thin straight rod rises from a stepped black base and ends in a small cylindrical cap pierced with a grid of tiny holes. The shaft is a dark reddish brown with a collar below the cap. It is 12 inches wide, 10 deep and 32.5 high.

Tall, narrow and fussy about its little holes.