Nepalese Candle Base with Lotus Motif

Engraved petals bloom across the bowl while a line of tiny script circles the waist.

This brass candle base with a lotus motif from the Kathmandu Valley is from Kathmandu Valley, Nepal, and is contemporary. The Kathmandu Valley has been a center of metal casting for centuries, and its Newar craftsmen are known for their work in brass, bronze and copper. Wide dish with a thick rim rests on a stepped base. Fine engraved radiating petals fill the bowl, and a band of zigzag lines and small script wraps the waist. Pale greenish metal shows soft wear, and a beaded edge rings the foot. It is 3 inches high and 8 in diameter.

Somebody engraved every petal and clearly refused to hurry.