Indian Wood Crop Seeder

A short pedestal bowl with a crowd of tiny figures crammed into its base.

This carved wood crop seeder is from Maharashtra, India, and dates to the early 20th century. Seed drills with several hollow tubes feeding seed behind a plowshare have been used in India for a very long time, and early forms are well documented. A thick cup with a rough, flattened rim sits on a narrow waist above a chunky square base. The base is carved with several standing figures in shallow relief. The surface is reddish-brown, worn and scraped, with ragged edges. It is 4.5 inches wide, 5.25 deep and 6 high.

Small stage, big cast, no understudies.