Indian Wood Bottle Stopper

A slender dagger-shaped spike wearing a coat of tiny diamonds.

This carved wood bottle stopper is from Jaipur, Rajasthan, India, and dates to the 19th century. Carved stoppers were made to close bottles and flasks, and their turned or sculpted tops often borrowed motifs such as flowers, animals or architectural forms. A long, narrow point with a four-sided taper, its faces cut with incised diamonds and triangles that run toward a sharp tip. A short, thin peg extends below. The surface is dark and dry, with scratches and small nicks along the ridges. It is 1 inches wide, 1 deep and 8.5 high.

Nothing about it is blunt, including the decoration.