Indian Stone Butter Pot

A near-black pot with a gloss like wet slate and a tidy rolled rim.

This carved stone butter pot is from Rajasthan, India, and dates to the mid 19th century. Stone is a dense material that stays cool, which makes it a practical choice for containers that hold dairy products. A broad, bell-shaped vessel with a thick rolled lip, one small nick in the rim, and faint hand-smoothed facets on the walls. The surface is deep black-brown with a soft sheen. It is 4 inches wide and 3 high.

Dark, dense, and neatly finished at the edge.