Indian Wood Tikka Box

Mushroom-capped canister with a knob on top and a dark, well-handled glow.

This painted wooden tikka box from Maharashtra is from Maharashtra, India, and dates to the late 19th or early 20th century. It is painted wood. Painted decoration on wooden boxes in India often uses bright mineral and vegetable pigments, and may include floral or geometric patterns. Cylindrical vessel with a domed lid sitting over a tapered base, finished with a small pointed finial. The surface is nearly black brown, with faint horizontal lines and soft scuffing along the lower body. It is 4.25 inches high and 2.5 in diameter.

Plain, solid, and polished by years of being picked up.