Nepalese Candle Holder with Lotus Motif

Lotus petals at every level, as though the candle had to climb through a garden.

This candle holder with lotus motif comes from the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal, and is contemporary, in brass. The lotus is among the most widespread symbols in Buddhist and Hindu art, usually taken to stand for purity rising from muddy water. A shallow dish on a petal-ringed collar crowns a slim column with a beaded neck. Below, a lotus-wrapped knop sits on a darker ring of upturned petals. The bell-shaped foot is cut in long, vertical leaves and finished with an engraved scroll band. It is 11 inches high and 6.5 in diameter.

Few candles get this kind of welcome.