Newari Oil Lamp Depicting Face and Hands

Black, pebbly oval with a round socket, shaped like a very heavy leaf.

This stone oil lamp depicting a face and hands is Newari, from Kathmandu Valley, Nepal, and dates to the late 19th or early 20th century. Stone oil lamps have a simple bowl cut into the block to hold oil and a wick, and carved figures may decorate the body or stem. Dark dense oval vessel with a rounded socket at its center and a pointed end curling upward. The sides show shallow ridged bands, and the surface is matte black with a rough, grainy feel and soft edges. It is 4.5 inches wide, 3.25 deep and 3 high.

Compact, dark and thoroughly unbothered.