Indian Wood Bottle Stopper, Based

Beaded rings stack up to a point like a very patient wedding cake.

This carved wood bottle stopper with a base is from Jaipur, Rajasthan, India, and dates to the 19th century. A base lets a carved stopper stand upright as a small sculpture, a way of displaying decorative objects that was common in collecting practice. A tower of turned rings narrows toward the tip, resting on a squared section pierced with small openings and a doorway shape. A slim stem runs below to a black base. The color is dark and glossy, worn smooth over the high points. It is 2.5 inches wide, 2.5 deep and 12 high.

It builds upward with quiet determination and a lathe-like rhythm.