Newari Stone Oil Lamp

A heavy stone lamp with an upturned handle, like a pointing finger.

Newari stone carvers of the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal, made this oil lamp in stone in the late 19th or early 20th century. Stone lamps are commonly used for offerings and ritual lighting in Newar homes and temples. The shape is a broad, shallow dish with a stout, blunt handle to one side. The center holds a small depression, rough from use. The stone is a dark charcoal, pitted and pebbled, with a scattering of paler spots. The base is heavy and flat.

About six and a half inches long and an inch and a half high. Solid, small and entirely without ornament.