Nepalese Candle Holder with Temple Monkey

His eyes are half closed. Whatever is burning up there is somebody else's concern.

Made in the Kathmandu Valley of Nepal, this contemporary candle holder with a temple monkey is cast in brass. The valley's temple grounds have long been home to monkeys, and the Hindu monkey deity Hanuman stands for loyal service, a fitting idea for an object built to carry a light. He sits with knees up and hands joined in prayer, his coat scored all over. Openwork lotus petals edge the square base. A scalloped dish sits above a winged finial. Seventeen inches high.

Nobody has ever asked him to smile, and he has not.