Nepalese Sukunda or Oil Lamp, with Lion Motif

A small lion climbs the handle and keeps an eye on the flame.

This sukunda, or oil lamp, with lion motif comes from Nepal and dates to the late 17th or early 18th century. It is cast bronze. Sukundas belong to Nepalese worship and household ritual, holding oil in the belly and lighting a wick in the shallow pans above. Three leaf-shaped pans spread around a flared central cup over a fluted body and round foot. The lion, with traces of red at the mane, crouches at the top of a curving scaled handle. Seven inches deep and five high.

The lion keeps watch whether the lamp is lit or not.