Newari Oil Lamp Depicting Salamander

Squat dish with a raised ring in its middle and a long, blunt handle.

This stone oil lamp depicting a salamander from the Newari people is Newari, from Kathmandu Valley, Nepal, and dates to the late 19th or early 20th century. The Newar are the indigenous people of the Kathmandu Valley in Nepal, and they have a long tradition of carving in stone, wood and metal. Dark, rough oval dish with a raised circular lip in the middle and a thick handle extending to one side. A tiny creature clings to the rim. The surface is pitted, mottled and uneven. It is 6 inches wide, 3.5 deep and 1.5 high.

Rough hewn, and quite content to stay that way.